Alaska's North Slope next frontier of domestic gas

The U.S. Geological Survey has conducted a new study the results of could give a big boost to domestic energy production. Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post writes, "Federal scientists have concluded that Alaska's North Slope holds one of the nation's largest deposits of recoverable natural gas in the form of gas hydrates, a finding that could open a major new front in domestic energy exploration."

Many have speculated for years that gas hydrates, a combination of gas and water that form under high pressure and low temperatures, could provide the next frontier of domestic energy. What also has people excited is that the technology to extract gas hydrates already exists, as opposed to other sources of clean energy that require large investments to develop the required technology.

The USGS estimates that as much as "85.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas can be extracted from Alaska's gas hydrates, an amount that could heat more than 100 million average homes for more than a decade," adds Eilperin. It may be some time before any of the North Slope natural gas is available to the lower 48 states. "Even if industry manages to extract natural gas from these reserves -- long-term tests on hydrates will take place between 2009 and 2011," writes Eilperin. The transportation of that natural gas will most likely take place via the pipeline championed by Gov. Sarah Palin, which is not projected to be completed for a decade.(Read more)