In late November 2004, the Alaska State Legislature requested the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) to provide a technical briefing on the energy resource
potential of gas hydrates in northern Alaska at the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) “Technical Conference for Regulations Governing
the Conduct of Open Seasons for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects,
Docket No. RM05-1-000,” scheduled for December 3, 2004, in Anchorage,
Alaska. In response to this request, Dr. Timothy S. Collett of the USGS
participated in the FERC-hosted conference, and presented a brief overview
of the energy resource potential of gas hydrates in northern Alaska. This
report summarizes Dr. Collett's presentation at the conference, in which
he discussed the issue under the FERC “Notice of Proposed Rule Making”
that addresses the amount of Alaska North Slope gas potentially available
for transport through an Alaska gas pipeline. |