Hill: Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday he was creating a position of envoy to the Arctic, fulfilling a longtime request of Alaskan lawmakers.
The announcement, in a letter to Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), comes amid increasing concerns that other nations notably Russia are staking claims in the Arctic amid a regional race for oil, gas and minerals sparked by global climate change.
Kerry told Begich that time is of the essence as the U.S. prepares to preside over the eight-nation Arctic...