Thirty years ago, Exxon proclaimed it would be producing eight million barrels of shale oil by 2010.  Only two years after making this bold claim, the industry went bust as Exxon pulled out of its Colony Project, leaving more than 2,000 people out of work in a single day.

By Karin P. Sheldon

We are being asked again to believe that production of oil shale is a good idea.  Industry leaders, such as Shell, Exxon, Red Leaf and the Oil Shale Exploration Company (OSEC), are asserting this time will be different.  A federal taskforce is cautioning “not so fast.”

A draft report issued in April by the Unconventional Fuels Taskforce, Unconventional Fossil Energy: Domestic Resource Opportunities and Technology Applications, offers a sobering assessment, noting there are “significant environmental challenges to development of U.S. oil shale.”

The challenges include:

• Protecting lands, including wildlife habitat and vegetation
• Protecting water quality
• Limiting emissions of criteria air pollutants
• Reducing water requirements
• Mitigating negative socio-economic impacts related to sudden industrial growth in rural areas
• Minimizing or eliminating CO2 emissions

Given the risks associated with developing oil shale, tar sands and other dirty fuels, we should look instead towards a clean, sustainable future.  We should invest in new technologies that spur innovation in energy efficiency, protect air and water quality, reduce our carbon footprint, and lessen our dependence on oil.

Only through efficiencies and investment in clean energy technology will we achieve the critical goal of a sustainable energy future.  That is the future we should envision.

Karin P. Sheldon is President of Western Resource Advocates