Experts doubt oil shale answer to energy crisis

Walter Youngquist, a retired University of Oregon geology professor, says he’s considered ways of exploiting America’s untapped oil shale resources for 40 years and concludes that extracting commercial amounts is like a mirage: every time it is approached, it just keeps retreating into the distance.

Youngquist said it takes more energy to extract a barrel of oil than the amount of energy recovered.

It’s not just the issue of committing energy to the project, but the amounts of oil that can be produced from oil shale aren’t going to be an immediate solution to America’s problems, Youngquist argues.

Knox Studio