Oil Shale

Oil Shale
Rachael Morgan 10-2-08 4:29pm

As of October first the ban on offshore drilling has been lifted. After months of debates and representing bills to lift the ban, congress has also “allowed a moratorium freezing the development of oil shale to expire.” With the lift of the Shale ban about two million acres in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado can now be explored and cultivated to produce an estimated five hundred billion barrels of oil. This is “twice the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia.”
“To get hydrocarbons out of the shale, the sedimentary rocks must be heated to temperatures of 900 degrees by injecting steam.” This process has been said by critics to, “Emit four times more global warming pollution than producing conventional gasoline.”
Although in theory this sounds like a practical way to lower gas prices, and become independent from foreign oil sources, the possible and most likely destructive harm it would have on the environment is far greater than the benefits of lower oil prices. The Natural Resources Defense Council calls it “the dirtiest fuel on the planet.” The process of extracting oil from these rocks not only would take an immense amount of financial support from the government, it also uses a huge amount of energy and water. In-fact it uses more water than is available in that part of the county, so instead of a gas shortage a possible water shortage.
With the economy and environment the way it is, it seems that at this time this move would cause more harm than good, whether this oil shale will be taped for oil won’t be decided until the new administration is in office, and if it is carried out won’t have any affects on gas prices for the immediate future.

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/oil-shale-viable-domestic-energy-or-dirtiest-fuel-on-the-planet/?scp=1&sq=oil%20and%20energy&st=cse Oil Shale by Jad Mouawad.