CRE Submits Oil Shale Protest

The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness recently submitted a Protest to BLM on its Final Oil Shale PEIS.

BLM’s decision to revise oil shale decisions made in 2008 could have enormous impacts on domestic energy production.  Specifically, The Government Accountability Office states, “The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that the Green River Formation contains about 3 trillion barrels of oil, and about half of this may be recoverable, depending on available technology and economic conditions.  This is an amount about equal to the entire world’s proven oil reserves.”[1]  Nevertheless, BLM is now planning to reduce the amount of federal land available for oil shale development by 75%, with a 90% reduction in Colorado.  BLM is seeking to effectively eliminate oil shale development in the United States without offering any compelling basis, except for a lawsuit[2] challenging BLM’s initial 2008 oil shale determinations.[3] 

Denver City Council approves controversial proclamation on oil shale (Denver Post)

From: Denver Post

Typically, Denver City Council proclamations are void of controversy, reserved to commending people for service or feel-good statements by the city’s lawmakers.

But on Monday, the council was divided over a proclamation that supports the “research-first” approach to oil-shale development proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that some in the industry vehemently oppose.

The council spent nearly an hour debating the proclamation, which is not a law and merely an official statement.

At the end, eight members voted in support, two against and two abstained — a rare division for a proclamation that normally gets unanimous approval.

Environmental groups protest BLM oil shale plan (Salt Lake Tribune)

From: Salt Lake Tribune

Environmental groups filed a protest this week of a Bureau of Land Management plan to allocate more than 800,000 acres in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for oil shale and tar sands development.

The Center for Biological Diversity, the Grand Canyon Trust, Living Rivers and the Sierra Club sent the protest Monday to BLM protest coordinator Brenda Hudgens-Williams.

The proposal would make available nearly 700,000 acres in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming for research and development of oil shale, and about 130,000 acres in Utah for activities related to tar sands.

A news release about the protest said such development would release “intensive greenhouse gas emissions, hasten Colorado River drying, threaten wildlife and increase local and regional air pollution.”

US expects oil boom from oil shale extraction (Channel News Asia)

From: Channel News Asia

WASHINGTON: The United States is set to become the largest producer of crude oil by 2030, according to a recent forecast by the United Nations (UN).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts the US will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia in production amid a boom in unconventional drilling.

In Colorado, and other western US states, oil shale is one of the resources that could help make the US a net energy exporter in the foreseeable future.

According to the oil industry, the rock found in Colorado’s Piceance Basin could hold the key to America’s energy future.

Garfield County to protest BLM oil shale decision

 

Editor’s Note:  The Editors  Note is an email to the author of the following article.
 
Mr. Stroud:
 
CRE congratulates    the Garfield County Commissioners on their insight in invoking the Information Quality Act to oppose BLM’s action to prohibit oil shale development.

 CRE was the initial proponent of Information Quality Act.

 CRE also has a major website devoted exclusively to the BLM Oil Shale Program and encourages  your readers to post their comments on the issue.

 CRE will also be filing a protest and will offer its assistance to the Garfield County Commissioners in encouraging a resource base which by  US Government estimates is one of the largest oil reserves in the world.