Coyote Gulch

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Energy policy: Oil Shale

Here's an article from The Wilderness Society (Drew Bush) on the potential for oil shale to impact the current energy crisis. Read the whole thing. Here are a few excerpts:

Did you know that more than three million acres of oil shale lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are already in private hands[~]and have been so for decades? Companies such as ExxonMobil, Red Leaf Resources and Great Western Energy, LLC own more than 83,000 acres of prime oil shale lands while also each holding portions of the six 160-acre tracts the Bureau of Land Management leased for the expressed purpose of giving these companies space to develop viable oil shale technologies.

These companies possess all the land they need to begin a commercial oil shale program now but have not done so. Yet, despite the fact that oil shale and tar sands development relies on unproven, environmentally destructive and economically dubious technologies, the Bush administration wants to spend its last months in office handing over more of your public lands to international companies such as Royal Dutch Shell.

In fact: it's in the best interest of the American people to slow down the pace on commercial oil shale development. The Governors of Colorado and Wyoming clearly think so. Find out what Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO) had to say about opening federal lands in Colorado to a commercial oil shale program at a recent Congressional hearing. Gov. Ritter is not alone. Find out what Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D-WY) thinks about slowing the pace of oil shale development.

Politics West: "Power struggle hits Mountain West: The fight over energy and how to lower gas prices threw the Rocky Mountain West into the spotlight Wednesday when President Bush urged Congress to repeal a moratorium on the development of oil shale."

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
6:15:37 PM

? for President?
Political Wire: "A new Public Policy Polling survey in Virginia shows Sen. Barack Obama edging Sen. John McCain, 47% to 45%."

Political Wire: "Sen. Barack Obama holds an edge over Sen. John McCain nationally, according to the latest Reuters/Zogby telephone survey. Obama leads McCain, 47% to 42%, with 12% saying they prefer someone else or are not yet sure about their selection in the race."

Political Wire: "The latest Quinnipiac Swing State polls shows Sen. Barack Obama -- with strong support among women, blacks and younger voters -- leading Sen. John McCain among likely voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania The results show: In Florida, Obama edges McCain 47% to 43%; In Ohio, Obama tops McCain 48% to 42%; In Pennsylvania, Obama leads McCain 52% to 40%."

Political Wire: "A new Fox News poll shows Sen. Barack Obama edging Sen. John McCain nationally, 42% to 39%, within the poll's three point margin of error."

Pollster.com "Colorado: Obama 43, McCain 41."
"2008 pres"
6:15:03 PM

Energy policy: Oil Shale

No matter how much you want to pay less at the pump for gasoline oil shale is not an answer in the short term and may not be an answer in the near term either. Here's a look at the current discussion over the moratorium and whether or not it should be repealed or the term lengthened, from The Denver Post. From the article:

The fight over energy and how to lower gas prices threw the Rocky Mountain West into the spotlight Wednesday when President Bush urged Congress to repeal a moratorium on the development of oil shale. In a speech that spurred protests from Democratic leaders and environmentalists, Bush called for harvesting oil from shale rock found in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The president also advocated drilling for oil in coastal waters and the Alaskan wilderness, saying the tight supply is pushing up gas prices...

"I suggest that if the president really wants to develop oil shale, that he first come to the Western Slope of Colorado and learn something about our experience with the economic crash in the 1980s," said U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo. "We can develop this resource, but we need to do it in a way that proves up the potential for jobs, economic stability and protects scarce water resources."

Additional caution is needed on oil- shale development, said Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, because the technology is mostly untested. "No one -- not even the companies working on oil-shale development -- can tell us with any certainty how much energy it will take to develop this resource, where that energy would come from, what the impacts on Colorado's water supplies or quality would be, and what housing, transportation and other infrastructure needs will be," he said.

Here's a link to our column about oil shale development at The Examiner/Denver

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
6:31:11 AM