White House: US Must Assert Rights in Warming Arctic

With the Arctic getting warmer, the Bush administration predicts a multinational grab at resources there. To that end, it released a 10-page directive describing challenges the US faces and calling for an Arctic policy that underlines US concerns, the Washington Post reports. “The United States has broad and fundamental national security interests in the Arctic region,” the document says.

As the area heats up, “you’re removing the shield that has effectively sheltered the Arctic from this gold rush,” said a conservation advocate, who called for a “science-based” approach to handling exploration for oil. The US Coast Guard also says it needs established search-and-rescue ability and a plan to deal with oil spills. (More White House stories.)