oil shale

Offshore Drilling Plan to Go Ahead: Interior Dept

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:20:39 -0500

WASHINGTON - A proposal issued in the final days of the Bush administration to expand offshore drilling in previously banned areas will move forward under the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, an Interior Department spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

Shortly after being sworn in on Tuesday, Obama ordered all federal agencies and departments to halt pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff.

Shell Oil's Pursuit of Local Waters Could Have Big Impacts

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:02:19 -0500

by Tom Ross

Steamboat Springs - When Shell Oil revealed last week it had filed for substantial water rights in the Yampa River west of Craig, the news marked another milestone on the road to fulfilling a prophecy made 2 1/2 years ago:

Powerful interests are coming after the water that originates from melting snow in the mountains of Northwest Colorado.

That was the message that Russell George, then executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, brought to a water symposium at Hayden High School on June 1, 2006.

Shell Stakes Claim on Yampa River

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:31:59 -0500

by Jerd Smith

The race to secure water for oil shale has moved to the Yampa River, one of the last few streams in the West with liquid to spare.

Shell Oil Co. has staked a new claim on the scenic waterway, seeking millions of gallons of H20 to support future plans for oil shale, said spokesman Tracy Boyd.

"This would be one of the more substantial water rights we're accumulating," Boyd said. The company has a wide array of water rights in the Colorado Basin, which includes the Yampa and White rivers.

Groups Fight to Protect Fish, Wildlife, and Wilderness Areas From Last-Minute Bush Regs

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:54:28 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2009

Conservation Groups

A coalition of conservation groups is fighting to protect millions of acres of western wildlife and habitat from midnight regulations finalized by the Bush administration that would open public lands to oil-shale exploration, leasing, and development.

Today the Center for Biological Diversity, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Red Rock Forests, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wilderness Workshop, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Center for Native Ecosystems, Colorado Environmental Coalition, and Western Colorado Congress formally notified the Bus

Bush Tries to Kickstart U.S. Oil Shale Development

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:28:18 -0500

by J.R. Pegg

WASHINGTON, DC - The Bush administration finalized regulations to govern the commercial development of oil shale on federal lands on Monday, rebuffing concerns that the rules are premature and ignoring the serious environmental concerns about tapping the resource.

Administration officials said investors keen to unlock the nation's vast oil shale resources need "rules of the road" even though the technology is still not commercially viable.