Oil Shale/ Tar Sands Links
In addition to oil shale information available through WRA's oil shale report and interactive maps, the following links provide access to other resources on oil shale:
Federal, State Agencies and Oil Shale
- Department of Energy Oil Shale site
- USGS Oil Shale Page
- USGS Energy Research and News
- BLM Oil Shale and Tar Sands Page
- BLM RD&D Tract Plans of Development
- Oil Shale EIS page
- DOE Unconventional Fuels Task Force
- US EPA - Spent Oil Shale- Hazardouse Waste
- Utah Geological Survey Oil Shale Page
Studies/ Reports on Oil Shale
- Oil Shale Development in the United States - 2005 RAND Corp oil shale report
- Oil Shale: History, Incentives, and Policy - 2006 Congressional Research Service report
- Study on EU Oil Shale Industry - European Academies Science Advisory Council
- Developments in Oil Shale - November 2008 Congressional Research Service report on latest knowledge about oil shale production
- Converting Oil Shale to Liquid Fuels: Energy Inputs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Shell in Situ Conversion Process - Brandt Study
- Northwest Colorado Socioeconomic Analysis and Forecasts - Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado Energy Study
- Energy Development Water Needs Assessment - Yampa/ River Basins Water Roundtable Report
- National Commission on Energy Policy Unconventional Fuels Issue Brief
- Shale Oil -- The Elusive Energy - influential paper by Walter Youngquist
- Potential Groundwater and Surface Water Impacts from Oil Shale and Tar Sands Production - Argonne National Labs Study
- Assessment of in-Place Oil Shale Resources in Piceance Basin - 2009 USGS study presentation
- Water Rights Related to Oil Shale Development in the Upper Colorado River Basin - Congressional Research Services
- NPC Topic Paper on Oil Shales
- Driving it Home: Choosing the Right Path for Fueling North America’s Transportation Future
- CO2 Releases from In-Situ Oil Shale Production - Colorado School of Mines
- Laherrere 2005 Oil Shale Review - Former petroleum engineer's analysis of oil shale
- Comparison of the Acceptability of Various Oil Shale Processes - 2006 Lawrence Livermore Labs Study
- Policy Issues for Oil Shale Development - James Bartis (RAND Corp.) Testimony 2007
- Gauging the Prospects of a U. S. Oil Shale Industry - 2004 Rand Corp research brief
- What Every Westerner Should Know About Oil Shale - 2009 report from the Center of the American West
- Converting Green River Oil Shale into Liquid Fuels - 2007 presentation to Oil Shale Symposium by Dr. Adam Brandt
- Oil Shale: 14 Unanswered Questions - 2009 study by Headwaters Economics
- Environmental Problems in the Estonian Oil Shale Industry - 2009 study
- Environmental Review of Selected Oil Shale Technologies - 2008 National Energy Technology Laboratory presentation
- Utah Mining Association White Paper on Oil Shale and Tar Sands Development
- Oil Shale and Nahcolite Resources of the Piceance Basin, Colorado - USGS report
Fact Sheets
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale Facts page
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale Water Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale Economics Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale Technology Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy - Tar Sands Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale and the Environment Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy - Oil Shale Publications and Fact Sheets Page
- Oil Shale Facts
- NRDC Oil Shale Fact Sheet
- NRDC Oil Shale By the Numbers Fact Sheet
- TWS Oil Shale Water Consumption and Pollution Fact Sheet
- TWS Oil Shale Consumption and Global Warming Fact Sheet
- TWS Oil Shale Background Fact Sheet
- TWS Status of Oil Shale Development - June 2008
- TWS Undeveloped Oil Shale Resources in Private Hands
- NWF "Oil Shale: Bad for Wildlife, Water, Climate Change, and the Western Way of Life" Fact Sheet
- Oil Shale Resources in Green River Formation - USGS
- Nahcolite Resources in Oil Shale Formations in Western Colorado - USGS
- Shell Mahogany Project Fact Sheet
- Shell Mahagony Test Project Plan of Operations - detailed explanation of in-situ/ freezewall operations filed with BLM
- Shell Freeze Wall/ In Situ Process Fact Sheet
Industry websites
- Profiles of Companies Engaged in Domestic Oil Shale and Tar Sands - US Dept.of Energy report
- American Resource Petroleum Corp. - working in Utah oil shale and tar sands
- American Shale Oil (AMSO)- Formerly EGL, recently partnered with French supermajor oil company Total
- Ambre Energy - purchased small-scale UT oil shale operation Oil Tech, is the second largest holder of oil shale leases in Utah
- AuraFuel Process from AuraSource - Round II oil shale lease applicant with links to Chinese industry
- Bechtel/ Parsons Radio Frequency Oil Shale extraction tests
- Bleeding Rock's chemical extraction process
- Chattanooga Process
- Comparison of in situ technologies by Phoenix Wyoming, Inc.
- Ecoshale's extraction process - process licensed to Red Leaf Resources
- EGL Resources- old website, now American Shale Oil (AMSO) after being purchased by IDT
- EncapSol chemical extraction process (Freestone Resources)
- Enshale's extraction process
- ExxonMobil's electrofrac conversion process
- General Synfuels - company pursuing Omnishale technology tests in WY and CO
- Genie Energy - a subsidiary of IDT/ AMSO working on oil shale ventures in Israel
- Independent Energy Partners - owners of oil shale rights on private property in Rio Blanco County, CO
- Mountain West Energy - oil shale company focusing on developing Utah deposits
- Natural Soda Inc. - applicant for Round II oil shale leases. Parent company's oil shale interests: Ameralia and Sentient Group
- Oil Shale Alliance, Inc. - a consortium involving Petroprobe, Phoenix Wyoming, and Independent Energy Partners
- OSEC - Oil Shale Exploration Company
- PARAHO retort
- Petroprobe - now part of Oil Shale Alliance
- Phoenix Wyoming, Inc. - now part of Oil Shale Alliance
- Queensland Energy Resources - Australian firm with US owners conducting tests of PARAHO process in Colorado
- Raytheon's radio frequency/ critical fluid extraction process
- Redleaf Resources - testing In-capsule technology in Utah
- San Leon In Situ Vapor Extraction process - pursuing oil shale research in Moroccan oil shale deposits
- Shell Mahogany Project
- Shell Freeze Wall Test presentation
- TOSCO company history
Visual Resources
- Maps of oil shale/ tar sands lands
- Map of Green River Formation
- Photos of Oil Shale
- Heritage West photo archive search under "oil shale" for photos of old Colorado oil shale projects
- Denver Public Library photo archive search under "oil shale" for photos of old Colorado oil shale projects
- BLM photo archive, containing oil shale images
- SkyTruth oil shale/ tar sands images
- Ecoflight images of oil shale in the Piceance Basin
- Audubon Magazine Oil Shale video
- Petrobras Presentation to Jordan on Oil Shale Technology
- University of Utah Interactive Oil Shale, Tar Sands, Heavy Oil Map
- Ecoflight Video: Investing Red Leaf Resources
Tar Sands
- University of Utah Heavy Oil Program - research portal for UT tar sands, oil shale information
- Earth Energy Resources tar sands extraction process - has filed to mine tar sands in Utah
- Temple Mountain Energy - Utah tar sands producer
- Syncrude Canada - Alberta tar sands producer
- Nevtah Capital Management - Utah Tar Sands Deposits
- Korea Technology Industry America, Inc. - developer of Utah tar sands for paving materials
- Dirty Oil: How the Tar Sands are Fueling the Global Climate Crisis - 2009 report published by Greenpeace Canada
- Oil Sands Fever: Environmental Implications of Canada's Oil Sands Rush -2005 Pembina Institute study
- Death by 1000 Cuts: Impacts of In Situ Oil Sands Development on Alberta's Boreal Forest - 2006 Pembina Institute study
- Sierra Club Tar Sands Fact Sheet
- Tar Sands Truth
- Tar Sands Watch
- National Geographic Alberta Tar Sands article
- Luc Bourgeois tar sands photos
- Garth Lenz Tar sands aerial photos - look under "index" then "environmental threats"
- Louis Helbig tar sands aerial images
- Dirty Oil Sands website - downloadable images and B-roll
- "Downstream" - a film about the effects of tar sands development on water quality for downstream communities in Canada
- "H2Oil" - a film about the link between Alberta oil sands and the human health effects of its toxic water waste
Other Resources
- Oil Shale and Tar Sands links
- The Illusive Bonanza: Oil Shale in Colorado by Randy Udall
- Shale Oil--The Elusive Energy a geologic evaluation of oil shale by Walter Youngquist
- NRDC Stop Dirty Fuels Page
- Utah Heavy Oil Program
- No Dirty Energy Oil Shale and Tar Sands pages
- Tar Sands/ Oil Shale Terms Glossary
- Shell Glossary of Petroleum Terms
- Colorado's Decision Support System - a resource for investigating water rights
- Mercury in Oil Shale - Western Research Institute
- The Dirtiest Fuel in the World - TWS Oil Shale blog
- How the West's Energy Boom Could Threaten Drinking Water for 1 in 12 Americans - ProPublica and San Diego Union-Tribune article
- Oil Shale Post blog
- The Oil Drum - blog on petroleum issues that frequently reports on oil shale
- Piceance Basin Water Quality Data Repository - monitors effects of energy development in the Piceance Basin, home to vast oil shale deposits
- White River Water - a group focused on White River Basin oil shale water rights
- Technical Technical Aspects of Oil Shale Production and Processing presentation
- Modeling In Situ Extraction of Heavy Oil Deposits presentation
For access to the full "Water on the Rocks" report, visit the main report page. Access to the interactive maps that complement the report can be gained on the oil shale maps page.