Report to Congress: The Feasibility of Establishing an Arctic Deep-draft Seaport. Yesterday, The Commandant of the Coast Guard signed the report to congress on the feasibility of a deep-draft seaport in the Arctic region. You can download the report here.

Breaking Down the Debt Ceiling Vote. The House voted 221-201 to pass a clean debt ceiling hike for more than a year - and there are a few interesting trends hidden in the breakdown. Twenty-eight Republicans voted for the bill, which means this debt ceiling vote was the most extreme example of violating the principle that the speaker does not bring a bill to the floor without a "majority of the majority" - the so-called Hastert Rule, named after former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who broke that principle 12 times himself. Before Tuesday, the greatest number of majority defections on a bill that passed the House was 41. (Coincidentally, Democrats and Republicans both achieved that same watermark. Democrats in 2007 with the "Protect America Act" and Republicans in 2002 with the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.") Roll Call 

Arctic Infrastructure Not Keeping Pace With Commercial Activity. The Russian response to Greenpeace's protest at the Arctic Prirazlomnoye oil rig made it clear to a lot of people that in spite of environmental concerns, the commercialization of the region is proceeding full speed ahead and enjoying top political priority. The controversial rig went into production at the end of the last year. Shipping has also increased dramatically in Arctic waters in the last few years, with international freight companies using the Northern Sea Route along the Russian coast to transport gas and other commodities. This reduces the distance between Shanghai and Hamburg by around 6,400 kilometers, compared with the usual route via the Suez Canal. Tourism is also on the up, with an increasing number of cruise ships making their way through Arctic waters during the summer months. What happens if one of these ships sinks? When the Costa Concordia cruise ship hit rocks off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012 and tipped onto its side, the risks of this kind of tourism became graphically clear. The thought of something like that happening with an iceberg in the remote regions around Spitsbergen or Greenland doesn't bear thinking about. But that, of course, is exactly what we have to do with a view to minimizing risks for people and the environment. Alaska Dispatch 

How to Understand Russia's Arctic Strategy. During most of the late 20th century, the Arctic region was primarily a zone of military interests, used by both NATO and Soviet strategic forces as bases for their nuclear submarines and as testing grounds for intercontinental ballistic missiles. With the end of the Cold War, the Arctic initially lost its strategic significance. In the last decade, however, thanks to a combination of accelerating climate change and a rapid increase in energy prices, it has become a key zone of strategic competition among a range of regional actors and outside powers. Russia has become heavily involved in these fledgling efforts to develop the Arctic. Russian leaders now primarily see the Arctic as a potential source of economic growth for the country, both as a strategic resource base for the future and a potential maritime trade route. Washington Post 

My Rival's Rival: As China Seeks to Gain a Foothold in the Arctic, Russia and Japan are Increasingly Warming to Each Other. Scholars these days are busy seeking to divine China's intentions in the Arctic. Meanwhile, though, Japan and Russia have taken discreet - though decisive - steps to secure good relations and a better foothold in each other's backyards. Such a relationship is as rational as it is improbable. Japan is a long-time ally of the US, while Russia has close relations with China. Moreover the two countries are in a border dispute over the Kurile Islands, which has prevented them from officially signing a peace treaty ending their Second World War hostilities. The Arctic Journal 

New Head of Indigenous Cooperation in the Barents Region. The Working Group of Indigenous Peoples (WGIP) consists of Saami from the four Barents countries Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and the indigenous peoples Nentsy and Veps from Russia. Christina Henriksen (31) comes from Kirkenes in Finnmark and represents the party Norwegian Saami Association in the Norwegian Saami Parliament. She has also worked as an advisor on indigenous issues in the Barents Secretariat and secretary for the WGIP, which made her qualified to lead the group for the next two years. Barents Observer 

Gazpromneft Gets Environmental Clearance for Arctic Offshore Well. Gazpromneft-Sakhalin has approval to drill an exploration well later this year on the Dolginskoye field in the Pechora Sea offshore northern Russia. This follows public consultations held in December 2013 in Naryan-Mar (Nenets Autonomous District). The approval documents include a prevention and response plan for oil spills and an environmental impact assessment. Offshore