A government agency predicts massive oil reserves off the Alaskan coast; Google Maps suggests walking routes; and the U.S. now dominates windpower production.

Arctic May Hold 90 Billion Barrels of Oil, U.S. Says : Talk about pressure to drill — the U.S. Geological Survey has reached into a hat and extracted some big numbers regarding the potential amount of oil locked under Alaska’s fragile ecosystem. How much oil? Try 90 billion barrels, most of which is offshore. That’s more than the identified reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan and Mexico. The estimates are based on geology and probability, not actual field work. (Bloomberg)

USA is the Number One Biggest Wind Energy Producer: The United States is now the biggest generator of wind power in thew world. That’s according to the American Wind Energy Association, which says that while Germany retains a lead in installed capacity, higher average wind speeds have blown the U.S. into first place. The milestone was expected — but not until the end of 2009. (Treehugger)

Electric powered, exclusive robotic car urban transportation zones: Could robotic cars save lives and resources? Transportation is taking a big step closer to the robotic Johnny Cab taxis of the movie Blade Runner with the success of cars like Boss, a fully robotic Chevy Tahoe. Boss was able to safely navigate a 55-mile urban course simulated real California driving at an average speed of 14 mph. More conventional highway speeds are two or three years away. That’s solid progress, but it will be a couple of decades before robotic cars will be sophisticated enough to handle public highways populated by real drivers. (Next Big Future)

Google Maps now offers Walking Directions: Here’s a bit of simple energy saving technology: take a hike. Google will help you to do so, offering best-guess walking routes along with conventional driving directions on Google Maps. The walking routes steer pedestrians clear of freeways and other hazards. Bicycle advocacy groups continue to lobby for similar two-wheeled service. (Coolest Gadgets)

Nissan to test electric cars in Tennessee: It seems that most big car companies take their new products to California markets for real-world testing. But Nissan says they’ll buck the West Coast trend, opting to test upcoming electric car models in mid-America. Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn says the company will partner with the state of Tennessee to determine if sufficient infrastructure exists to support their use. Nissan hopes to roll out its first plug-in models by 2011. (Reuters)