Lisa Murkowski: “H.R. 1753, the Methane hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, would establish a small research program with the…”

“H.R. 1753, the Methane hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, would establish a small research program with the potential for a major payoff--energy security for the foreseeable future. Methane Hydrates are rigid, ice-like solids of water surrounding a gas molecule, found at low temperatures and high pressures. When melted or depressurized, they release methane, pure natural gas, the same fuel we use to heat our homes and power our economy. Significant quantities of methane hydrates have been detected all over the world. In the U.S., marine geologists have detected deposits of methane hydrates in deep sea sediments that lie off the coasts of the Carolinas, Louisiana, Texas, California, Oregon, and my home state of Alaska. We've also detected methane hydrates under the permafrost during conventional oil drilling operations in my home state of Alaska. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that nearly 320,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas can be extracted from the methane hydrates found in the U.S. alone.”