Funding slips for gas-related geology studies

Patricia Jones

Petroleum News Contributing Writer

Federal funding for two multi-year natural gas-related geologic mapping and assessment projects, requested by state geologists in Alaska, was not included in the U.S. Senate supplemental appropriation bill.

Rod Combellick, acting director of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, said the $18 million requested dropped off the list. “We submitted them rather late in the process, which limited the time during which people could send support letters. We will try again this coming spring,” he said.

One project ($15 million) would provide a detailed geologic evaluation of the proposed transportation corridor from Fairbanks to the Canadian border, part of the proposed natural gas pipeline route. The division requested a total of $15 million for the project, $3 million a year for the next five years. The second project ($3 million) involves a study of sedimentology, stratigraphy and structure of the Brooks Range Foothills to better evaluate the area’s natural gas resources.