Will Congress Cross The Jordan?

IBD Editorials ^ | August 12, 2008

[Kaslin]

Energy: While members of Congress take vacations their constituents can no longer afford, a country prepares to end its dependence on foreign oil by extracting supplies from shale rock. It's not the U.S. It's in the Middle East.

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Jordan imports 95% of its oil. Unlike the U.S., the desert kingdom plans on doing something about it. It does not, however, plan to cover its flat open spaces with solar panels or wind farms. It's going to do something the Democratic Congress has refused to do — get oil from its abundant shale rock.

On Sunday, Maher Hjazin, head of the Jordanian National Resources Authority, announced that negotiations with the Anglo-Dutch group Royal Dutch Shell to extract oil from the kingdom's shale reserves "are nearing an end."

Hjazin made the announcement before the Jordan Engineers Association and told the Jordan Times that Shell will survey and develop 22,000 square meters of land, one quarter of the country, in the central and southern regions.

He also told the JEA that other parties are itching to develop Jordanian shale rock. Estonia's state-owned energy company, Eesti Energia, has completed a study to produce 36,000 barrels a day from just one of the kingdom's 20 locations rich in oil shale. Estonia produces all its energy from oil shale reserves in the Baltic state.

Under separate agreements with the Brazilian firm Petrobras, Jordanian-British Jordan Energy & Mining Ltd. (JEML) and a Saudi firm are examining separate blocks for oil shale extraction. Yes, even the Saudis, a charter member of OPEC, want to get oil from shale. One day we may be importing it.

[EagleUSA]

Wanna see OPEC oil prices tumble?? All GW has to do, is make an emergency declaration to being drilling in all the key locations the anti-American socialists do not want any drilling ——

Alot of popcorn would be consumed. And McCain could skate into the White House leaving our internal enemies choking in the dust.

[DuncanWaring]

...22,000 square meters of land, one quarter of the country,

Huh?

22,000 square meters is 2% of a square kilometer ... not quite five acres.

[Need4Truth]

“The United States has 2 trillion barrels of oil shale, ... enough to meet current U.S. demand for over 250 years.”

Sorry it’s off limits. Better to pay high prices for gas and fuel oil and support the terrorists, russia, etc.

[stefanbatory]

I did not know that Estonia supplies all their petroleum needs from oil shale...interseting...