Special issue - the emerging reality of oil shale: government plays a prominent role in leasing and developing oil shale

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6156130

Israel, D H

The federal government announced in mid-1979 its intention to develop 400 dam3/day (2.5 million bpd) of oil substitutes by 1990, including 64 dam3/day (400,000 bpd) for oil shale. The federal government owns much of the oil shale reserves in Colorado's Piceance Creek Basin and Utah's Uinta Basin. State and private interests control the remaining 20% of the most marketable reserves. In most of Utah and Colorado, the US controls the richest and largest consolidated oil shale reserves. As a result, the federal government is in a unique position to spur rapid oil shale development through an expedited and expanded federal shale development program. In May 1980, the Department of Interior announced a broad new program for developing federal oil shale reserves. Also in May and June, 1980, the Supreme Court announced 2 decisions, Andrus vs. Utah and Shell Oil vs. Andrus, that opened up for federal development vast oil shale reserves in Utah and clarified in part, the status of private oil shale claims. These developments, coupled with substantial financial inducements soon to emerge from the Synthetic Fuels Corp., suggest the long-awaited promise of oil shale development may finally arrive.

• OSTI ID: 6156130
• Journal Information: Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States), Journal Name: Min. Eng. (Littleton, Colo.); (United States) Vol. 33:1; ISSN MIENA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040100* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Reserves & Exploration-- (-1989)
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COLORADO
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
LEASING
MATERIALS
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALES
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
RESERVES
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCES
STATE GOVERNMENT
UINTA BASIN
USA
UTAH