Oil Shale Mining and the Environment

With steadily increasing prices for imported oil, commercial production of oil from oil shale can become a reality in the near future. Presently we are importing about 43% of our oil needs and this reliance on foreign oil can be reduced by utilizing the vast resources of oil shale in the western US. The oil shale resources in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, averaging 0.06 m3/ton (15 gal per st) and occurring in beds at least 3 m (10 ft) thick, are estimated at 293 Gm3 (1842 billion bbl) of which only 97 Gdm3 (610 billion bbl) are recoverable with current technology. The full potential of this vast resource can be realized only if significant steps are taken toward improving mining and retorting technology and solving environmental problems. Oil shales with a grade of 0.08-0.10 m3/ton (20-25 gal per st) are amenable to mining and surface retorting; whereas lower-grade oil shales may be recovered by in situ retorting.