1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Shipping and Environmental Arctic Leadership Act or the SEAL Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The Arctic seas have historically been considered impassable and impractical maritime routes, but diminishing Arctic sea ice, better icebreaking technology, and global demand for Arctic resources has opened up opportunity for international trade routes through Arctic Ocean waters. (2) According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, over the last 20 years atmospheric temperatures have increased at a rate at least 3 times the global average, and as of 2011 sea ice thickness was 42 percent below what it was in 1979. If trends continue, summers may produce ice-free waters in the Arctic Ocean by the late 2030s. (3) The Bering Strait is experiencing significant increases in international traffic from vessels using the Northern Sea Route, the Transpolar Sea Route, and the Northwest Passage. Increases in international traffic are projected to continue. (4) While the Arctic Council’s agreements on search and rescue, spill prevention and response, and initiatives through the International Maritime Organization to bring about a mandatory polar code are significant, little or no cooperation yet exists in the Arctic region to bring about needed maritime infrastructure, nor do Arctic coastal states and user states cooperate in establishing common seaway administration. International coordination and investment in infrastructure for shipping routes, icebreaker service and refuge, ports, spill prevention and response, salvage, and LNG bunkering, would be collectively beneficial for all associated states, the environment, and global commerce. (5) Trans-Arctic shipping brings substantial commercial benefits. Shipping distance between Europe and Asia could be reduced by 4,500 nautical miles, saving a week’s time and 40 percent in freight shipping distances compared to alternative routes. Through a voluntary tariff model, user nations from the remainder of the