According to a 2009 Congressional Research Service report on unconventional gas shales, directional drilling (sometimes referred to as horizontal drilling) allows for access beyond the area below the drill to both oil and gas reserves in locations inaccessible to conventional drilling, including to difficult to reach offshore reserves.

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And VR Panorama allows shots of entire horizontal and vertical environments for a full 360o view.

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Horizontal Drilling now allows these same operators to drill and set pipe for a mile or more horizontally through this same rock formation.

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Progress in horizontal drilling, which allows more oil to be produced from fewer wells, is another boon for the Arctic.

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