Not just oil shale but high grade coal. Clinton put the Ascalante reserves into a preserve so the U.S. would have to buy Indonesian coal from his buddy Riady.
Lots and lots of mineral reserves there. The upside is that the rights were owned by a Canadian company (which I understand was a front for the Royal family). So, instead of foreigner profiting from U.S. mineral rights, no one can at the moment.
Eventually, it should be opened by the government and managed by a de-facto government company. That way the profits to the the Treasury to pay down the debt. (Yeah, wishful thinking, I know!)
I think you mean Escalante?
The coal deposits in the Escalante area is clean-burning coal, too.... the Navajo were pulling a lot of coal out of the reservation and doing it with first-class equipment and decent pay and thanks to the enviros the Laughlin Power Plant (SCE) was shut down because they refused to spend millions to install clean-air scrubber (it was cheaper to shut it down and take an environmental tax credit instead)...