Alaskan nominee for Arctic ambassador clears US Senate panel

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday voted to advance the nomination of a Fairbanks man to be an ambassador to the Arctic region, despite Republican objections. Geographer and Arctic policy expert Michael Sfraga would be the nation’s first ambassador to a polar region, if confirmed by the full Senate. The top Republican on the committee suggested Sfraga was vulnerable to the “malign influence” of America’s adversaries. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, cited Sfraga’s travel to China and Russia and his participation in conferences with foreign dignitaries. Those suspicions rankle Sen....