Strategic significance of America's oil shale resource: Volume 1--assessment of strategic issues

It is generally agreed that worldwide petroleum supply will eventually reach its productive limit, peak, and begin a long-term decline. What should the United States do to prepare for this event? An objective look at the alternatives points to the Nation's untapped oil shale as a strategically located, long-term source of reliable, affordable, and secure oil. The vast extent of U.S. oil shale resources, amounting to more than 2 trillion barrels, has been known for a century. In 1912, The President, by Executive Order, established the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves (NPOSR). This office has overseen the U.S. strategic interests in oil shale since that time. The huge resource base has stimulated several prior commercial at-tempts to produce oil from oil shale, but these attempts have failed primarily because of the historically modest cost of petroleum with which it competed. With the expected future decline in petroleum production historic market forces are poised to change and this change will improve the economic viability of oil shale. It has been nearly two decades since meaningful federal oil shale policy initiatives were taken. In that time technology has advanced, global economic, political, and market conditions have changed, and the regulatory landscape has matured. As America considers its homeland security posture, including its desired access to diverse, secure and abundant sources of liquid fuels, it is both necessary and prudent to reconsider the potential of oil shale in the nation's energy and natural resource portfolio. Commercializing the vast oil shale resources would complement the mission of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), by measurably adding to the country's energy resource base. Addition of shale oil to the country's proved oil reserves could occur in a manner similar to the addition of 175 billion barrels of oil from Alberta tar sand to Canada's proved oil reserves. As a result of the commercial success oil from tar sand, production now exceeds 1 million barrels per day. U.S. oil shale, which is as rich as tar sand, could similarly be developed and become a vital component in America's future energy security. This report was chartered to review the potential of oil shale as a strategic resource for liquid fuels. Volume I reviews the strategic value of oil shale development, public benefits from its development, possible ramifications of failure to develop these resources and related public policy issues and options. Volume II characterizes the oil shale resource, assesses oil shale technology, summarizes environmental and regulatory issues, and reviews tar sand commercialization in Canada as an analog for oil shale development in the United States. A Peer Review meeting of selected experts from government, industry, business and academia was held February 19-20, 2004. Comments and suggestions were received and incorporated into the two volumes; comment excerpts are provided in Appendix B. The reviewers agreed, based on the current and anticipated energy climate and the issues addressed in the report, that preparation of a Program Plan for oil shale is now warranted.