Conditions in the Northwest Passage, which runs just above the northern coast of Alaska and Canada and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, have changed such that the ice that formerly blocked ships from sailing through has all but disappeared.

A bill Murkowski proposed last December, the Arctic Deep Water Sea Port Act of 2009, would require U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, along with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, to conduct a two-year study determining the feasibility of establishing a deep water port in the area to protect "U.S. strategic interests."

Young introduced an identical bill Feb. 2.

"As other countries develop interests in this region, we need to ensure the protection of the U.S.'s interests and make moves now to lay our claim," said Young in a written release.

Murkowski initially approached the idea of introducing the bill to aid the Navy in an ongoing effort to evaluate the strategic importance of the region as it becomes more navigable, and to provide a deadline for the study, said Meredith Kenny, a spokeswoman for Murkowski.

When asked whether increased ship traffic in the region might lead to higher carbon emissions, Kenny said Murkowski did not consider this an issue.

"Climate change is a cause for the bill, not a concern," Kenny said in an e-mail. "We have the opportunity to address the prospects of industry years down the road and how we can use changing arctic conditions to our advantage."

Kenny also said industry leaders were not involved in the bill, and that it was purely a move to help secure military security in the region.