Despite 800 billion barrel potential, oil shale a hard sell

…If the oil industry can learn how to extract oil and gas from the oil shale in a cost-effective manner, the United States could lay claim to oil reserves totaling, perhaps, 800 billion barrels


But the history of oil shale has been a story of grand plans and locked gates.

And its future is anything but certain. At best production is years away, while upredictable oil markets, growing water demand, sizable electricity needs and climate change all pose potentially huge hurdles.

“We’re working on the tough stuff,” concedes Rick Mykitta, operations manager for Shell Oil Co.’s Mahogany oil shale research project.

Houston Chronicle