Oh, joy.  I wonder how much this "exploration for new oil" is gonna cost us in tax credits.  When will our legislature fix SB 21? Probably never.  There are billions of barrels of heavy oil sands laying directly under current Prudhoe production.  The wells that go get the light crude must be drilled thru this heavy crude layer at 5-8,000 feet.  BP put in place at Milne Point 5 years ago a pilot operation to get this oil.  The only thing that needs to be worked out is the pumping of this sandy heavy crude and keeping it warm thru the 2000' of permafrost.  Please, please Conoco Caucus in the legislature quit screwing the Alaskan people out of their oil and now permanent fund.