Public discussion of oil shale development in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming has been on the back burner for some time. Many of us believe oil shale in the three states is a resource that should be developed to help make the nation energy-secure for decades.
The National Oil Shale Association (NOSA) proposed a plan of action at a congressional field hearing in Grand Junction on June 1. NOSA recommended Congress and the administration include oil shale in the three states in the nation’s strategic energy plans and approve the formation of an advisory board to recommend how to develop the vast resource for the benefit of local economies and the nation. NOSA members believe the building of small demonstration plants is the responsible next step in the development of the resource.
Modern proposals differ greatly from oil-shale activities of the 1970s and 1980s, when the federal government offered financial incentives for development of unconventional fuels. Then, oil, gas, and mining firms rushed to Colorado and Utah to take advantage of the federal program. The boom ended when the price of crude oil plummeted in 1986, destroying jobs and communities. In some places, a return to normalcy took a decade. Interest in oil shale dwindled.
With hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells drilled into shales now putting the United States on track to become the world’s largest oil producer, oil shale remains out of mind for many people in the industry. But production from fractured unconventional reservoirs declines very fast, and the cheap oil from those reservoirs already has been produced.
The nation will still need oil shale as a long-term domestic, nondeclining supply oil to fuel its military and civilian transportation needs.
NOSA is waiting for congressional action on its recommendations.
Glenn Vawter
National Oil Shale Association
Glenwood Springs, Colo.