[rellimpank]

--thirty-some years ago (during the last "oil shale"boom), I spent considerable time contributing mining knowledge to shale feasability studies.

--the only money made in oil shale was when Arco sold Parachute to Exxon, who took a multi-million dollar bath on it within a few years---

-- depending on available technology and economic conditions.--covers a lot of ground---judging by what we were looking at for recovery costs thirty years ago, my off-hand opinion would be that $200/bbl might be one of the "economic conditions"--

[ckilmer]

In 2005, Royal Dutch Shell announced that its in-situ process could become competitive for oil prices over $30 per barrel ($190/m3).[56] A 2004 report by the United States Department of Energy stated that both the Shell technology and technology used in the Stuart Oil Shale Project could be competitive at prices above $25 per barrel, and that the Viru Keemia Grupp expected full-scale production to be economical at prices above $18 per barrel ($130/m3).[46][57]
............
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_shale

[GOP_Party_Animal]

But hasn’t there been a renaissance in oil production with better fracking techniques and horizontal drilling? Sure, $100/bbl oil prices have helped the Bakken drillers here in ND, but I would think Colorado shale could benefit similarly from recent technology advancements.