By Roberta Rampton
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept 1 (Reuters) - President Barack Obamaon Tuesday will propose a faster timetable for buying a newheavy icebreaker for the U.S. Arctic, where quickly melting seaice has spurred more maritime traffic, and the United States hasfallen far behind Russian resources.
It's a move that has long been urged by Arctic advocatesinside and outside the administration as the nation prepares formore shipping, mining and drilling in the region.
But the vessels are valued at about $1 billion each, and theU.S. Congress would need to agree to pay for the expansion.
Obama will say that the government should buy a heavyicebreaker by 2020 - a year when routine Arctic marine transitis expected - instead of the previous goal of 2022.
He also will propose to start planning for additionalicebreakers. The White House said move is required for safety inthe changing Arctic - and to keep up with Russia.
The U.S. Coast Guard used to have seven icebreakers, but thefleet has dwindled to three creaky vessels, only one of which isa heavy duty vessel, the White House said.
"Russia, on the other hand, has 40 icebreakers and another11 planned or under construction," the White House said.
During the past year, Obama has taken steps to seal offparts of Alaska from new drilling, although environmental groupsare howling about a recent decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill off the northwest coast of the state.
Obama's administration also will update outdated maps forregions with newly open waters, and survey a transit routethrough the Aleutians and Bering Strait, the White House said.
Obama will spend the second day of his Alaska tour in thepicturesque coastal town of Seward, named after PresidentAbraham Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward, whonegotiated the purchase of Alaska in 1867 from Russia.
Obama plans to hike the Exit Glacier near Seward and take aboat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park to see the impact ofrising seas.
"Climate change is no longer some far-off problem. It ishappening here. It is happening now," Obama said on Monday in anaddress urging the world to agree later this year to new targetsfor cutting carbon emissions.
On Monday, residents spruced up the town after a recent windstorm.
"We get to showcase our piece of paradise to the presidentof the United States, and that means a lot to us as it would anytown," Seward Mayor Jean Bardarson said in an interview. (Additional reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau, Alaska; Editingby Nick Macfie)
