EPA's Role in the Arctic Council

The Arctic Council, established in 1996, is a high level international forum that promotes cooperation among Arctic nations on sustainable development and environmental protection.  As the Arctic environment changes, leading to increased shipping, economic, and other activities, it becomes increasingly important that the U.S. work closely with our Arctic allies.  

Highlights

Environment Projects in Remote Arctic Communities

Through an Interagency Agreement (IA) with the Department of State, EPA is maintaining high levels of environmental protection and promoting public participation in environmental programs in remote Arctic communities in the following countries: Canada, Finland, Greenland (a self-governing area of the Kingdom of Denmark), Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. This is done through the exchange of expert knowledge, indigenous knowledge, local knowledge, information, strategies, and tools. This IA provides the framework for capacity building through the development and implementation of projects in the areas of: solid waste management, black carbon emissions, Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF), adaptation and resiliency, wildfire response capacity, and public participation/social inclusion. 

The first phase of the Arctic Solid Waste Management project produced a report titled, “A Scoping Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Small and Remote Arctic Communities” and a Summary for Policymakers. Both documents were co-developed by Battelle, EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA), and U.S. EPA Region 10 Office, which covers the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and 271 tribal nations.  The documents were prepared under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Battelle, and were formally approved via written procedure by the Arctic Council’s ACAP Working Group on August 30, 2024. Since February 2024, this project has moved to the pilot projects phase. Through a Cooperative Agreement, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Battelle, a non-profit organization, have awarded tour small grants, each between $50,000-75,000 USD, for work to be conducted in Alaska and Canada through 2026to enhance the capacity of remote Arctic communities in managing solid waste.

EPA is currently developing a project proposal on Managing Health Impacts from Arctic Wildland Fires.

Phase Out of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams

EPA and the Ministry of Environment Finland co-lead the project Phase-Out of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) in the Arctic, which seeks to support fire-fighting facilities and fire brigades, as well as airports and oil and gas operations, in transitioning away from AFFF that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In June 2025, OITA co-hosted the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Phase Out in the Arctic Workshop in Helsinki, Finland with Arctic stakeholders from the oil and gas, defense, government, and indigenous communities, focused on transitioning away from and seeking alternatives to AFFF used in fire-fighting activities. Meeting participants agreed to serve on steering committees and scoped out next steps to develop a project in Alaska, Canada and Greenland and another in Finland to identify AFFF stocks as well as refinements to guidance for communities to remove AFFF from fire-fighting facilities. 

Local Environmental Observer Network

EPA is leading a project to expand the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network,  a tool that allows local practitioners of traditional knowledge to capture and share environmental observations and changes with other Arctic nations.  These observations help remote Arctic communities communicate with one another and with experts in universities and governments, and can also be used by industry and other stakeholders to understand the current weather and climatic situation in areas where monitoring data is sparse.

Using a phased approach, EPA and its partners established a North American LEO chapter, developed a framework for expansion in other parts of the Arctic, which now include hubs in British Columbia and Norway and are currently working to identify new LEO services in remote communities in the Arctic which may feature LEO kiosks in indigenous education centers and museums.

More about the Circumpolar LEO (CLEO) project

Black Carbon & Particulate Matter

EPA leads the project “Black Carbon Case Studies Platform” in ACAP, which is an  interactive platform linked to ACAP’s website and hosted by NOAA’s Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) online mapping tool. This platform provides a one-stop shop for public information on black carbon work implemented in the Arctic and near Arctic. Currently, there are more than 100 case studies. Many of the newer case studies focus not only on the usage of renewable sources of energy, but also on energy efficiency and better energy storage.

In the past, EPA  has engaged with partners from government agencies, U.S. Arctic and Russian universities and non-governmental organizations, Russian and Arctic stakeholders, and indigenous communities on steps to reduce diesel black carbon emissions in the Russian Arctic. This effort helped provide more reliable electricity to remote Arctic communities, reduce local air pollution, and minimize soot emissions which accelerate melting of snow and ice. 

One pilot project in this effort engaged a regional bus company in Murmansk, Murmanskavtotrans (MAT), in partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), the Nordic Envi/node/50033ronmental Finance Corporation (NEFCO), Murmansk State Technical University, and WWF Russia. After attending the project’s 2013 Emissions Inventory training, the bus company decided to purchase more energy efficient buses for its bus fleet.  The result was reduced black carbon emissions, decreasing operations and maintenance costs, and improved reliability of public transportation. This pilot project also spurred competing bus companies in Murmansk to make similar investments. 

Another demonstration project in this effort engaged the Tundra Agricultural Cooperative, an indigenous reindeer herding group on the Kola Peninsula of Russia,  to replace an obsolete stationary generator with a mobile, integrated wind-diesel generator at their station on the eastern stretch of the Kola peninsula. This project successfully reduced black carbon emissions at the station and reduced diesel fuel consumption, while also stabilizing energy supply to the remote outpost. The pilot led to the Tundra developing plans for a photo-voltaic installation at a second location on the peninsula.

Ministerial Meeting

The 14th Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council took place on May 12, 2025 in Tromsø, Norway and virtually. The meeting marked the formal conclusion of Norway’s Chairship (2023–2025) and the handover to the Kingdom of Denmark, and brought together representatives from the eight Arctic States, six Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations, the Arctic Council’s six Working Groups and Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane, and Observer states and organizations. The Arctic States also issued a joint statement reaffirming the shared principles of the Arctic Council, including as it relates to peaceful collaboration, the importance of Indigenous People’s rights, and the Council’s continued commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development. The Ministerial meeting is generally attended by the foreign affairs minister of each Arctic nation. For the United States, the Secretary of State typically assumes this role.

About the Arctic Council

The Arctic Council was established in 1996 by the Ottawa Declaration.  It is the preeminent intergovernmental forum for addressing issues related to the Arctic region.

• Learn more about the history of the Arctic Council.

Who participates in the Arctic Council?

• The eight Member States are Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States.
• In addition, the Permanent Participants category provides for active participation of, and full consultation with, the Arctic Indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council. Aleut International Association (AIA), Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC), Gwich'in Council International (GCI), Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), Saami Council, and Russian Arctic Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) are Permanent Participants.
• Non-arctic states, inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organizations, and non-governmental organizations may obtain Observer Status in the Council. Learn more about Arctic Council observers. 
   

How does the Arctic Council work?

• The Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates between the eight Member States every two years. The state holding the Chairmanship organizes meetings for Council members, participants, and observers, coordinates joint projects, and represents the Arctic Council externally.
• The scientific and technical work of the Arctic Council is carried out in six expert Working Groups, which meet at regular intervals throughout the year.
• Ministers may establish Task Forces composed of Working Group experts and Member State representatives to work on specific topics of concern for limited periods of time.

Learn more about Task Forces of the Arctic Council. 

Working Groups of the Arctic Council

The six Working Groups of the Arctic Council are: 

• Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) 
• Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
• Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) 
• Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) 
• Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) 
• Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) 

Each Working Group has a Chair, a Management Board or Steering Committee, and includes expert participants from government agencies and research entities. Observer States and Organizations may also attend Working Group Meetings and may participate in specific projects.

EPA @ Arctic Council

EPA leads U.S. government participation in the Arctic Contaminants Action Programme (ACAP) Working Group, which seeks to reduce contamination from hazardous chemicals and waste, and reduce emissions of black carbon.  Through this group, EPA works on the reduction of black carbon from diesel sources, associated petroleum gas (APG) flaring, shipping, wildfires, and woodburning.

In ACAP, EPA works with its partners to identify sources of contamination, demonstrate pollution control technologies, and implement projects which can be replicated throughout the Arctic. These projects typically include partners from multiple Arctic nations that cooperate to implement projects through technical Expert Groups (EG). EPA has played a leadership role in ACAP projects, such as:

1. Mercury. EPA is also actively working to reduce mercury emissions, including in the Arctic. Project work is underway to understand the sources and impacts of mercury in rivers of the Arctic. The results of these and other projects will inform implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

2. Hazardous Waste Management Strategy. Cooperation to mitigate and safely store and manage POPs, hazardous waste, as well as sound management of solid waste, can help ensure that dangerous chemicals released in one part of the Arctic do not impact the ecosystems and populations in other parts. This EG has put nearly 70,000 tons of obsolete pesticides in the remote Arctic into safe interim storage facilities while considering safe disposal methods. 

EPA also participates in other ACAP expert groups such as the Indigenous People’s Contaminants Action Program (IPCAP), which aims to increase the involvement of Arctic indigenous communities in reducing exposure and impact of contaminants in their communities.

Useful Links

These links provide more information about the Arctic Council, including United States participation and ongoing EPA work in the Arctic.

Arctic Council
Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) 
U.S. State Department: Arctic Region
Denmark's Chairmanship Program for the Arctic Council 2023-2025

Ongoing EPA Work

• Mercury in the Arctic
• EPA in Alaska

Learn more about EPA's  Partnering with International Organizations