Drill, baby, drill, says Alaska's Parnell

JUNEAU, Alaska, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Exploring the oil and gas resources in the Alaskan outer continental shelf is a state priority, the Alaskan governor said in his state of the state address.

Alaska sits on some of the largest oil and gas deposits in North America in its North Slope region.

Alaska's Republican Gov. Sean Parnell in his annual state of the state address said "gushers" in the Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson regions of the North Slope require an ambitious effort to exploit.

"We will draw on that timeless Alaskan strength and ingenuity to make it happen," he said. "We will not settle for any less than maximizing recovery of Alaska's gas for Alaskans' benefit."

He pointed to potential oil and gas discoveries in Alaska's outer continental shelf as a further source of state revenue in a stagnant economy still crippled by the recession.

"I have made exploring and developing the OCS our priority," he said.

TransCanada and Denali, a joint venture between BP and ConocoPhillips, are competing to develop a natural gas pipeline from the Alaskan North Slope to the Lower 48 states.

"But, getting pipe in the ground will take what Alaskans are known for meeting the challenges together; problem solving, not rock throwing," he said. "It will demand the best of all of us."