As a whole, the Republican Party in Congress seems to be split when it comes to dealing with the global warming crisis. Some Republicans are stuck in stubborn refusal to acknowledge that global warming is happening at all. Other Republicans acknowledge that global warming is taking place, but then seek to block efforts to do something about the problem. Finally, there’s a small number of congressional Republicans who admit to global warming, and support related legislation, but selectively, only advocating those bills that react to global warming in ways that benefit certain constituencies they are aligned with.

This interesting group of emergent global warming opportunists within the Republican Party was represented in a floor debate this week on H.R. 2864, a bill that would authorize hydrographic surveys in the Arctic Ocean waters of the United States, in areas that are becoming newly free of sea ice.

The bill was written by Don Young, who comes from the nation’s only Arctic state. Congressman Young is unable to ignore the great melt that’s taking place in Alaskan waters, and seeks to build the foundations for the commercial exploitation of the warming climate. Young chose to take a practical approach, and acknowledged the global warming reality, commenting, “Currently, base hydrographic data in the Arctic is woefully inadequate and not sufficient to support current, let alone future, marine activity. With the reduction of sea ice, there’s increased vessel traffic and opportunities for more drilling, and up-to-date nautical charts or coastal maps are critical for these activities.”

Cynthia Lummis, who represents Wyoming, a state dominated by the energy industry, perhaps could see H.R. 2864 as legislation that would help oil companies seeking to engage in offshore drilling along Alaska’s northern shores. Lummis seemed to have a more difficult time expressing acknowledgment of global warming’s impact in the Arctic, only indirectly stating that “the Arctic has the potential to become a viable shipping corridor”.

These Republicans clearly know what’s going on in the Arctic, but it took Madeleine Bordallo, a Democrat who represents Guam in the U.S. House of Representatives, with procedural abilities but without voting power, to speak plainly about the tremendous climatic shift. Explaining her support for the bill, Bordallo stated, “Recent scientific findings have shown that the Arctic sea ice is shrinking with significantly smaller amounts of summer sea ice cover. Consequently, more open water space in the Arctic Ocean will be available for ship travel, which will present a changed landscape for international marine commerce and national security interests and greater accessibility to natural resources.”

The National Snow and Ice Data Center shows that Arctic sea ice has been at record low levels for much of this year. There are many weeks left until the annual melt will cease.