By Sarah Moore PerSonalitieS 36 P o r t l a n d monthly magazine DiditchangethingsinMaine? We’re already seeing the most tangible ef- fect of this engagement in our relationship with Eimskip. [The number of containers passing through Portland’s ports has tripled since 2013, and Eimskip plans to introduce a weekly shipment by 2020.] I saw Eimskip trucks out on the road during my motorcy- cle trip in central Maine this summer. That felt significant for me. I think a wonder- ful symbolic gesture of this burgeoning re- lationship came when the Maine Brewers’ Guild sent a container load of beer up to Ice- land. So many people asked me about Arctic development during my travels throughout Maine. I’ve seen a deepening interest in this issue among the Maine public. Doesthismeanwereallyare“thegatewaytothe FarNorth?” Realistically, we’re talking about progress that will take place over the course of de- cades–anything from 15 to 30 years to de- velop the infrastructure and work out the in- surance and trade details. That being said, the melt is happening faster than we predict- ed. The volume of ice in the Arctic Ocean has declined by two thirds since 1979. Howdoyoualignyourtwoperspectivesasanadvocate ofArcticopportunitiesbutalsoanenvironmentalist?Isit bittersweet? I’ve spent a great deal of time working on climate-change issues, trying to alert peo- ple to the risks. There’s no doubt most of Arctic Star The climate change Angus King fears is the very reason behind an emerging Northwest Passage. The risk-taker in him is ready to jump at the opportunity. “Eastport has around 65 feet of depth just a few feet from shore. New York would kill for that!” 3 E ven when he’s in Wash- ington D.C., Senator An- gus King has one foot in Maine and his eyes on the Arctic Circle. The for- mer governor and Maine's first Indepen- dent U.S. Senator believes melting ice caps could open the way for Maine to become the U.S. gateway to the Arctic and the Far East beyond. We caught up with King dur- ing his travels around the state to discover what lies beyond the horizon for Maine and the Arctic. It’sbeenayearsincePortlandhostedameetingofthe ArcticCouncil.Diditbreakanyice? It was a big deal because it literally put us on the map in matters of the Arctic. Heretofore, nearly all these meetings had taken place in Scandinavia, Alaska, or Canada. There’d never been anything on the East Coast of the U.S. It was a sym- bolic recognition by this multinational organization that Maine is now a part of the Arctic discussion.