[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I think I heard Rush mention that there was a huge deposit of oil shale in Colorado and Utah(?) earlier today. The GOP needs to quit beating around the bush and start beating the RATS over the head with their obstruction of any new drilling in the US.

[KC Burke]

We have known of the oil shale desposits for decades. I the oil spike in the 70s they attempted to develope it and found the costs didn't pay until oil was very high. As I recall it was $60 per barrell in 78 prices. We may be getting high enough to dig it out and then smelt it down to crude, but it will take about three years to build the first plant to take the shale and make crude and a whopping big private investor.

Do you have a spare two billion laying around for a highly speculative venture that will pay zero if oil stays under $80?

[Prost1]

Not just oil shale but high grade coal. Clinton put the Ascalante reserves into a preserve so the U.S. would have to buy Indonesian coal from his buddy Riady.

Lots and lots of mineral reserves there. The upside is that the rights were owned by a Canadian company (which I understand was a front for the Royal family). So, instead of foreigner profiting from U.S. mineral rights, no one can at the moment.

Eventually, it should be opened by the government and managed by a de-facto government company. That way the profits to the the Treasury to pay down the debt. (Yeah, wishful thinking, I know!)

[Conservative4Ever]

I might be wrong on this but didn't Clinton bar the drilling of that shale in CO and UT?