oil shale

Offers New RD&D Leases; Asks IG to Investigate 11th Hour Lease Addenda

October 20, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today took steps to help the country develop technologies that could potentially unlock the nation’s oil shale reserves while protecting taxpayers, water resources, the environment, and local communities.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- In the midst of heated debate over the future of the Canadian oil sands, a new report from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) says that prudent greenhouse gas regulations can safely limit emissions while allowing for robust development of the oil sands.

The report argues that oil sands production delivers both energy security benefits and climate change damages, but warns that both are often overstated. “For the near future, the economic and security value of oil sands expansion will likely outweigh the climate damages that the oil sands create,” it says, “but climate concerns cannot and must not be ignored, and will become more important over time.” Policymakers, it emphasizes, must carefully balance the two concerns.    » read more »

The Bakken Formation Helps Increase U.S. Proved Reserves of Oil

This Week In Petroleum for January 28, 2009 noted that North Dakota had the Nation’s third largest increase in proved reserves of crude oil in 2007, 70 million barrels (17 percent). Most of this increase came from development of the Bakken Formation. What is the Bakken Formation and why does it matter?

What is the Bakken Formation?    » read more »

Shell Oil Co. Wants Nearly One-Tenth of Water for Dirty Oil Shale Development

February 27, 2009 -- STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO - The Sierra Club is fighting to protect a key river in northwestern Colorado from a water grab by the oil industry.

In December, Shell Oil Co. applied to state water court for rights to divert nearly one-tenth of the Yampa River's water into a massive reservoir, where it would be kept for future development of oil shale, an unproven fossil fuel that requires tremendous quantities of water and energy to produce.

In an effort to protect the Yampa River and the fish, wildlife, and communities that depend on it, the Sierra Club filed a statement of opposition in Colorado Water Court today to block Shell's request.    » read more »