[thackney]

Others (Shell, iirc) have tried cooking the oil in situ and forcing it into collector wells from a central heated wellbore. Neither method has proven to be economical

That would depend upon the price of the energy used as input and the energy output value.

What is the price difference per million BTU of Natural Gas versus light, sweet oil today?

On page 4-22 below you will find:

ICP requires energy input for heating, freeze wall construction, processing, and maintenance but still generates three to four times as much net energy as it consumes. This energy ratio is very comparable to steam injection in heavy oil projects.

The Shell 2006 report:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/co/field_offices/white_river_field/oil_shale.Par.79837.File.dat/OSTPlanofOperations.pdf

[Smokin' Joe]

Thanks for the correction! Admittedly, the uneconomical part was at 1980s/90s prices. I was working gas wells in the area when the Parachute facillity shut down.

However, there is no process so simple, no balance sheet so profitable, that the inspired minions in Government cannot figure out a way to make it too difficult or too expensive to continue.