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Maine and the Arctic: Why Maine Should Develop an Arctic Strategy Maine Policy Review Volume 29 Issue 1 2020 Maine and the Arctic: Why Maine Should Develop an Arctic Strategy Jonathan Wood [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr Part of the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Wood, Jonathan. "Maine and the Arctic: Why Maine Should Develop an Arctic Strategy." Maine Policy Review 29.1 (2020) : 56 -61, https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol29/iss1/8. This Commentary is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. AN ARCTIC STRATEGY COMMENTARY Maine and the Arctic: Why Maine Should Develop an Arctic Strategy by Jonathan Wood INTRODUCTION historical, social, economic, and political Council. Senator King delivered the key interests in the Arctic, which will form note address to Maine’s Arctic Forum, espite recently being in the spotlight the subject matter of this commentary. founded in 2015 to coincide with the Das an Arctic player, Maine does not chairmanship. Senator King’s introduc- currently have a formal published Arctic MAINE’S RECENT HISTORY tion indicated this could be a critical strategy. The US Chairmanship of the AS AN ARCTIC PLAYER moment for the state: Arctic Council during the years 2015 to The Maine Arctic Forum was 2017 provided a windfall of opportuni- Successes (2013 to 2016) precisely the type of symposium we ties for the United States to refocus its he period from 2013 to 2016 is needed at this moment in history. Arctic strategy and take the lead in many arguably the high-water mark in T By bringing together a wide variety policy areas. For Maine, this was a boon. Maine’s Arctic influence. Along with the of local stakeholders and problem Portland, Maine’s largest city, hosted a 2016 SAO meeting in Portland, the US solvers—including policymakers, closed-door Senior Arctic Official (SAO) Senate created the Arctic Caucus in 2015 non-profits, advocacy groups, meeting led by US diplomat David with cochairs Angus King (I-Maine), academics and business leaders— Balton, which allowed Maine to high- who caucuses with the Democrats, and the forum provided a rare opportu- light “its successful [economic] pivot Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). A press nity for a common dialogue about towards the north over the past three release from Senator King’s office quoted the region’s future. Participants years” (McGwin 2016). Balton empha- Senator Murkowski: “The United States shared innovative ideas and forged sized three additional focus areas at is an Arctic Nation because of Alaska, but new relationships that I trust will the Portland SAO meeting: “improving the Arctic community is an economic result in new and productive global economic and living conditions in partner to each and every state, and partnerships. (King 2017) Arctic communities; Arctic Ocean safety, the sooner we fully engage and take security, and stewardship; and climate our rightful seat at the table for discus- In 2013, Maine reached across the change” (Canarie 2016: 15). These goals sions, the better” (Office of Senator Atlantic to make a lucrative deal with were emblematic of the United States’ King 2015). This bipartisan caucus Eimskip, Iceland’s largest shipping firm; Chairmanship. provided the stability and harmony on Eimskip moved its North American In addressing these goals, there were the domestic level that is commonly headquarters to Portland, opening up a many successes, such as an Obama-era practiced in the international sphere trade network that includes Europe and executive order creating the Arctic through the Arctic Council. Murkowski Greenland (McGwin 2016). This rela- Executive Steering Committee.1 Both noted that Maine sends more than half tionship was formalized by Governor the United States and Maine, however, of its exports to Canada and lauded LePage’s signing of a memorandum of failed to capture this momentum due to Maine’s large delegation to the Arctic understanding (MOU) with Iceland, domestic policy shifts. Because of Circle Assembly in Iceland in 2015 outlining “a desire for increased cooper- Maine’s recent history as an Arctic player (Rosen 2016). ation in the areas of business develop- and a detached federal administration, Maine accomplished much on its ment, transport, logistics and culture” coupled with other Near-Arctic sub- own during this time. The University (Iceland Review 2014). Iceland’s national entities creating their own of Maine School of Law’s Ocean former president Ólafur Ragnar Arctic strategies, it is a good time for & Coastal Law Journal published Grímsson reaffirmed this relationship at Maine to articulate its own Arctic an Arctic symposium issue celebrating Maine International Trade Day stating, strategy. The state of Maine has distinct the US Chairmanship of the Arctic “Iceland and Maine are strategically MAINE POLICY REVIEW • Vol. 29, No. 1 • 2020 56 AN ARCTIC STRATEGY COMMENTARY placed in this new global transportation Murkowski introduced legislation in a resounding Democratic mandate system” and calling for Maine’s leader- December 2018 to make the Department from Mainers while also incorporating ship to actively involve itself in the of Homeland Security (DHS) the chair more diversity than any of Maine’s business of the Arctic Council when the of the steering committee in an attempt previous administra tions (Gurley 2019). United States takes over the chairman- to restore DHS’s status as a driving mech- Governor Mills quickly put herself on ship (Iceland Review 2014). Senator anism of Arctic strategy (Orttung and the international stage by addressing King turned Grímsson’s words into Weingartner 2019). While this proposal the Climate Action Summit before the action as he led a plenary session at the was not adopted, the attempt to have the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 Arctic Circle Assembly2 in DHS steer the program signals to the rest September 2019. Ninety-three people Reykjavik, Iceland, titled “U.S. of the Arctic nations that the United were invited to speak before the UN Leadership in the Arctic” (AJOT 2015). States is straying from the cooperation General Assembly, and Janet Mills was embodied in previous Arctic policies and the only elected US official from any Failure to Capitalize on towards hard security leadership. Issues of level of government. During her speech, Momentum (2016 to 2019) importance to the members of the Arctic Governor Mills announced “that she The election of President Donald Caucus, such as climate change for has signed an executive order directing Trump altered US Arctic policy away Senator King and shipping for Senator the Maine Climate Council—a body from Balton’s three goals towards preoc- Murkowski, have not been accepted by she created with legislative approval— cupation with China’s investment, the current administration or have not to provide recommendations on how to Russia’s militarization of the Northern been able to override the presidential veto. make the state a carbon neutral Sea Route, and resource extraction Similarly to how President Trump economy by 2045,” reflecting the (Orttung and Weingartner 2019). has derailed the national Arctic agenda, climate action bill requiring Maine Scholars have noted the lack of a compre- former Maine Governor Paul LePage to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions hensive Arctic strategy during the Trump stalled Maine’s gains after the US to 45 percent below 1990 levels by presidency: “During the Obama era, the Chairmanship. While there were posi- 2030 and by at least 80 percent by 2050 president played an active role in Arctic tive advances in Maine’s engagement that she signed on June 26, 2019 policymaking whereas the current with Arctic issues during Governor (Woodard 2019). administration has not made any LePage’s tenure, such as the previously Governor Mills has also been active substantive comments about the Arctic” mentioned MOU with Iceland and the in Arctic policy, attending the 2019 (Orttung and Weingartner 2019). This formation of the Maine North Atlantic Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik. lack of strategy changed on May 6, 2019, Development Office (MENADO) in Describing the connections between in Rovaniemi, Finland, when Secretary 2014, those policies stagnated during Maine and the Arctic in a speech during of State Michael Pompeo made a speech the US Chairmanship. Now, however, a plenary session of the Arctic Circle on security and militarization in the with the election of a new governor, Assembly, Governor Mills stated, Arctic, personally referencing China and Maine has a window of opportunity for it is not just our waters that draw Russia. His language went against articulating its own Arctic strategy. us together. It is, as well, a vision Gorbachev’s 1987 Murmansk declara- Maine has already taken some action of a future where nations trust one tion calling the Arctic “a zone of peace” under its new administration. Whether another, where we can accept science and that geopolitics should be set aside these actions coalesce into a formal without polemic, where we can work when discussing Arctic issues. Pompeo’s Arctic strategy in line with Maine values in a solid front, with a common goal, speech contributed to a failure to reach of business growth combined with envi- with sometimes uncommon means, consensus for the first time in the history ronmental protection is yet to be seen. to mitigate global climate change of the Arctic Council.3 …on the health and very survival of Furthermore, successes of the US Renewed Interest at the State our citizenry and our planet. (Office Chairmanship years were lost: for Level (2019 to Present) of Governor Janet Mills 2019a) example, although the Arctic Executive With the election of Janet Mills, Steering Committee continues to exist, it “the Democrats have a trifecta in Augusta Prior to this speech, Governor has been left dormant. Senator Lisa for the first time since 2008,” providing Mills signed an MOU with Prime MAINE POLICY REVIEW • Vol.
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