[Eric in the Ozarks]

Exxon tried oil shale near Rifle, Colorado in the early 1970's. I think they mined and crushed the stuff into two to four inch topsize, then irradiated the shale to get the oil to come out. Trouble was, the four inch chunks swelled up to six inches, so if the process had been followed (it took $40 crude to payout) the hillsides and mountains would become large spoil piles several hundred feet taller than when the project began.
Take that concept to your weekly Greenpeace meeting and whattaya get ?

[deport]

Yep... remove the shale leave a hole and then fill it back up but the problem is what do you do with the excess material after it's expanded from the heating process.... LOL. I thought the increase size was bigger but I couldn't remember.

Gulf Oil was there also and had prefected their operation to a point that they asked the Feds to raise their production quota from their current level and the Feds told them to get another 80 something enviormental permits... Needless to say Gulf said see you later.