Directional drilling is a technical method of drilling for oil and gas where drill pipes are guided or bent to the horizontal underground to access pools or “plays” of oil and gas far away from the drill site. Effectively it allows producers to access multiple plays from one location dramatically reducing the surface footprint.  Senator Murkowski has stated that 10% of the oil thought to exist in the 10-02 Area of ANWR could be thought to be accessed in this way.  The State of Alaska owns the land just to the west of the Canning River which forms the western boundry of the 10-02 Area and it is from here and from northern offshore waters that exploration under this new bill would thought to take place.  

This bill will allow ANWR oil to be accessed remotely without having to have a physical footprint in the contentious ANWR area.  The current record for directional drilling in Alaska is roughly 6 miles and this distance increases with advancements in technology year by year.   The Murkowski/ Begich bill is a concession to the environmental movement which is against exploration in ANWR.  By not having any footprint within the Refuge the Alaskan Senators hope to sway some who want the benefit of increased domestic energy production without the environmental compromise. 

Read Senator Murkowski’s comments on introducing the bill. (PDF)

View the speech

Sen. Lisa Murkowski's ANWR issue statement 

6-24-09 Update:  Update:  The Senate Energy Committee voted 10-13 against an ANWR directional drilling provision sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (Ranking Republican).  The amendment was to be attached to the current “Cap & Trade” energy bill making its way through the Senate Energy Committee and involved the directional drilling technique similarly sponsored by Murkowski’s senate legislation introduced earlier this year.  The directional drilling notion is to access some of ANWR’s oil reservoirs from outside the refuge itself using directional drilling.  The amendment was supported by the entire republican side of the Committee except John McCain.  Mary Landrieu, the democrat senator from Louisiana also supported the bill.  Senator Landrieu is a long time supporter of opening ANWR and often makes up one of the few democrats that consistently support the measure.

Some comments from Capitol Hill were that the defeat of the amendment was predictable but the strong showing of support for the measure with a solid Republican vote proved a surprising show of political force given the pressure to pass the “Cap & Trade” bill that for which the amendment would join.  One of the complaints to the “Cap & Trade” bill is its lack of any provisions to produce energy.  ANWR, which is traditionally a magnet for controversy on Capitol Hill, is overshadowed this year by the debate on Cap & Trade or carbon taxation.  Both issues, either together or independently, will be hard to pass in either the House or Senate due to their contention and the ever present threat of filibuster in the Senate.  The committee vote on ANWR is the first vote this year on ANWR in Congress.  It is unlikely to be the last.  Currently 9 ANWR bills (7 in favor and 2 against) reside on the books of Congress but their viability to successfully pass out of committee and come to the floor is not certain due to opposition from House and Senate Majority leadership.