Locked in the rocks of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming lies a
mammoth energy resource called “oil shale.” These three states
contain at least 5-times more oil than the proven reserves of
Saudi Arabia. We have studied ways to unlock oil shale since the
early 20th century. However, these attempts were limited by
technology, economics, and environmental concerns. Things are
different now. Energy prices are on a steep upward trend. Easily
developed crude oil reserves are running out. Emerging economies
are securing energy resources around the World. Price spikes,
like what we saw in 2008 - and are seeing now - will be more
severe and frequent. Equally as important, we are discovering
solutions to unlocking the potential of oil shale. Dozens of
companies, universities, national laboratories, public agencies,
and governments around the World are making enormous strides in
developing the technologies that may produce oil shale cleanly
and economically. The United States needs to develop as many
home-grown energy sources