Developing oil shale is best choice

http://www.deseretnews.com ^ | July 28, 2008 | Sen. Orrin G. Hatch

[Para-Ord.45]

Democrats control Congress, so Americans ought to be asking about their plan to lower gas prices. Let's hope their plan doesn't rest on solar, wind and geothermal, because planes, trains and automobiles don't run on electricity. They run on oil — mostly foreign oil — 97 percent of the time. Let's also hope the Democrats' plan doesn't rest on ethanol to break our dependence on foreign oil, because it can't. More on that later.

Americans ship about $700 billion annually to foreign oil traffickers, and Democrats respond by shutting down America's own energy supplies. Now at the mercy of foreign governments smart enough to produce their own energy, we are selling away our nation's place in the world and funding our aggressive competitors — and even our enemies. Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have more oil in oil shale than OPEC. Everyone seems to know that by now, but here are six things you probably did not know about oil shale.

[Who is John Galt?]

There is no reason we shouldn't be building half dozen coal-to-diesel plants right now.

Or more than a half dozen - how about 50-100, at 50,000 barrels per day each? We have the capacity: but the Democrats won't allow it. Why? Because coal-to-liquids is a 'sin' under their earth-worshipping religion...

[marron]

“I don’t understand how the moratorium put in place by Colorado’s governor affects leasing, or oil shale operations, in Utah.”

Its federal.

There are people in Utah trying to get going on oil shale, though.

http://www.oilshaleexplorationcompany.com/news.asp

[SuziQ]

OK, I understand it, if the ban is Federal, but Sen. Hatch made it sound like the state of Utah couldn’t develop oil shale because the Gov. of Colorado had placed a moratorium on it.