Oil shale in US West again beckons energy companies

Big Oil could soon begin trying to melt petroleum on U.S. lands from oil shale, a resource the government says has huge potential but was so pricey to produce in the 1980s that companies walked away from it.

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Chevron Corp. (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and other companies are completing environmental impact statements on applications for eight research and development leases to produce oil from shale in Colorado and Utah.

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