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Posted by D. Sherman on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 23:20:52 :
In Reply to: Drilling ANWR posted by Brett in AK on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 23:12:42 :
I agree, especially about the gas line. It's a crime to be flaring off gas on the North Slope when we need it badly down here, among other things to make up for all the gas that Alberta is using cooking their tar sands. Not only that, but at today's oil prices, it would be economical to make synthetic oil out of that gas. People mostly think about making synthetic oil out of coal, by the water gas process (coal + steam), followed by Fischer-Tropsch (nickel/iron catalyst) to make bigger (liquid) hydrocarbons, but natural gas can be used even more easily as a feedstock.
I've heard mixed things about ANWR, particularly that the oil companies are willing to back off because more thorough geological investigation has convinced them that there isn't as much oil there as the USGS thinks there is, while there's good prospects for oil in unprotected areas nearby. Nonetheless, it's all opinions until somebody pokes a hole in the ground and finds out.