The Bush administration has drafted new rules in their attempt to keep us dependent on oil, while transferring more Colorado lands and resources into the hands of their largest donors. The Bush plan accelerates oil-shale development in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, rather than investing in alternative fuels. Still many years away from even potential results, the plan is being sold as an emergency short term response to current energy prices.
(cross-posted at SquareState.net)
Anne C. Mulkern of the Denver Post writes:
Environmental groups that oppose oil-shale development said the 235- page BLM document with preliminary rules is unnecessary. In it, the BLM states that "currently, there is no oil-shale industry and the oil-shale extractive technology is still in its rudimentary stages."
"The only benefit that could come from this would be for those seeking partisan political gain in trying to give the impression that ... this oil-shale industry has a role to play in impacting high energy prices," said Chase Huntley, policy adviser with the Wilderness Society.
The administration is blocked from taking further action by a Congressional moritorium that expires on Oct. 1st. Sen. Ken Salazar, the author of the original ban, seeks to extend the current rules until 2009.
Sen. Salazar:
"Before we move ahead with commercial leasing, we need to know what impact oil shale will have on Western water supplies, whether the technology will work on a commercial scale, where we would get the power for the projects, and what effect it would have on our land and wildlife."