[Eric in the Ozarks]

Oil shale in the Rifle, Colorado area was thought to be the next big energy story. Exxon spent millions trying to pry the oil out of the rocks, finally settling on a system that radiated the chunks to push the oil out.
Trouble was, mining and crushing the shale created a 25 percent “swell factor.” Then the radiation turned golf ball sized chunks into softball chunks, or about 30 percent larger.
Try reclaiming that stuff...

[hal ogen]

Omission of news is one of the great crimes of the Loser medias. These “journalists” are an embarrassment to the First Amendment and to themselves. Never believe the media about anything. Losers.

[IronJack]

I was working on the Western Slope when the shale boom hit the Parachute Valley in Colorado in the early 80s. It was a phenomenon. Cities literally sprang up overnight, and an army of heavy machinery moved in to turn mountains into molehills and open a path to "the rock that burns."

Then, one weekend, Exxon pulled the plug. Shut down the entire operation overnight. All that time and energy and material went for naught. Zilch. Bupkus. And the governor was afraid he'd have to call out the National Guard to suppress riots from the displaced workers (he didn't).