I think the $30 figure for oil shale is a little old. I saw that figure in 1980 or so. The waste material (processed shale) is also a problem... It becomes 33 percent larger after the oil is harvested.
"I think the $30 figure for oil shale is a little old. I saw that figure in 1980 or so."
It is. It is actually a bit less expensive now. When oil was at $26 a barrel in 1998 tests were being conducted by the Canadian gov't. If prices would stablize at anywhere near their current $40+ per barrel price, shale oil would go into production permently.
"The waste material (processed shale) is also a problem... It becomes 33 percent larger after the oil is harvested."
Whats the problem with that? Use it to build up low lying coastal areas which are about to go under water due to global warming...hehe. Might make good ski slopes too.