Senator Lisa Murkowski proposes directional drilling in ANWR

[Fireweed247]

Murkowski called her legislation a compromise effort. ANWR has long been a battleground between those who want to develop a place considered one of the nation's best prospects for major oil discoveries and those who want to preserve this swath of America in the northeast corner of Alaska.

The drilling would take place from state land and waters rimming the refuge, she told applauding lawmakers. But "there would be no surface occupancy of lands in the refuge proper," she told the Alaska Legislature in her annual address.

"The nation gets its oil. Those who are concerned about the loss of wilderness get to enjoy the refuge as it exists today," Murkowski, R-Alaska, said. "Impacts to subsistence are minimized, if not eliminated."

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/696334.html


Just curious what you all think about this? Is it a win win?

[thereismore]

1. That means Exxon would have to use longer drills and that is NOT FAIR DAMMIT! nt

[bluestateguy]

2. Have the Interior Department do a study and get back to her in 5 years

nt

[maxsolomon]

3. if it will get the GOP to STFU about it

then fine. there's not enough oil there, folks. we're still screwed.

[margotb822]

5. Yes, exactly

Investing in oil is like investing in typewriters. We need to invest in viable renewable technology before we really do run out of oil.

[midnight]

9. I love your analogy. And I agree with your opinion to invest in

renewable technology before we really do run out of oil....

[Blue_In_AK]

4. It might work,

but I still wonder if the economics of it make sense. Is there really enough oil there to justify spending the money required?

I'm more inclined to think that Alaska needs to broaden its economic base somehow -- we are much too dependent on the rising and falling of global oil prices. But, of course, I don't know what the solution is.

Directional drilling would certainly be preferable to stomping all over the refuge.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Why are they so insistent to get at ANWR oil?

The oil companies don't want it.

It's expensive to extract. It's difficult to tranport out. And it's not a big enough reserve to fight for.

And the oil companies would just sell it to Asia anyways.

But Repubs just keep battering their heads against that wall.

[ThomWV]

7. Its just nonsense. There is a severe limit to how far off to the side you can drill directionally

Look, about the deepest you can drill an oil well is 3 miles on land and of that only a portion can be diverted from vertical. So what that means is that at best (and losing depth for every foot off vertical) you can only directionally drill a mile or so. Beyond that the more you divert the bit the less predictable becomes its true direction. So the farther you try to send it the less sure you are about where it really is.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Wow, 'slant drilling'! Isn't that why Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Kuwait

[Fireweed247]

10. ya

I think that's where they got the idea!