MIT has a “Standing Wave Reactor” that was small and portable. It uses depleted uranium for heat source. Waste heat can heat oil for extraction. Salazar was a representative in Colorado but became secretory of the Interior and shut down Gulf drilling and drilling on public land. There will need to be a change of administration to do much as most of the shale is under government land. I think we will be amazed at the solutions they come up with for energy.
Just how stupid the feds can be is the fact that if they can master the technology for extracting oil shale kerigen the feds stand to benefit to the tune of approximately 25 trillion dollar range over the lifetime of the fields with oil priced in the $30@barrel range.
Yet the feds do little to actually push this technology beyond allowing companies like shell to do experimental work.