Oil Shale Development In The United States

In the early 1980s, industry and government took a hard look at the economics of extracting oil from vast deposits of shale that lie beneath the western United States. Oil prices subsided, and interest waned. With oil prices spiking and global demand showing no signs of abating, reexamining the economics of oil shale makes sense. In this report, the authors describe oil shale resources; suitability, cost, and performance of new technologies; and key policy issues that need to be addressed by government decisionmakers in the near future.

Annotation The report describes the oil shale resources in the western United States; the suitability, cost, and performance of available technologies for developing the richest of those resources; and the key energy, environmental, land-use, and socioeconomic policy issues that need to be addressed by government decision makers in the near future.

Discusses possibility of large oil company monopolization of oil shale development in the Rocky Mountains.

This report of the Interagency Task Force on Oil Shale examines the prospects for expanding shale oil production to meet the objectives of Project Independence. The study considers production potential; resource requirements such as human, money, and material resources; production constraints; and actions needed to accelerate development. The report also deals with economic factors in increased development of oil shale production; oil shale resource base and ownership; leasing requirements and policy; water demand, supply and quality; air quality analysis; impact on fish and wildlife; and the status of technology.

Federal interest in oil shale dates back to the early 20th century, when the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves were set aside. Commercial interest followed during the 1960s. After a second oil embargo in the 1970s, Congress created a synthetic fuels program to stimulate large-scale commercial development of oil shale. Commercially backed oil shale projects ended in the early 1980s when oil prices began declining. High oil prices have revived the interest in oil shale. Contents of this report: Intro.; Geology and Production Technology of Oil Shale; History of Oil Shale Development; Incentives and Disincentives to Development; Policy Perspectives; Legislative History to 2006. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.