(Washington, DC) – Congressman Mark Udall (D-Eldorado Springs), succeeded today in getting an amendment included in the Interior Appropriation bill which will bar the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from issuing any final regulations for commercial-scale leasing of oil shale and from offering any commercial oil shale leases during fiscal year 2008. Current law requires BLM to issue those regulations, and to move to a full-scale commercial leasing program, on a crash basis and under a tight deadline.
"Oil shale has potential as an energy source, but Colorado’s Western Slope has had experience with a rush to development that ended up hurting our region’s economy," said Udall. "My legislation will ensure that oil shale is developed in a responsible way."
In 2005, a RAND Corporation report spelled out the potential benefits of developing oil shale. It also noted that large-scale oil shale development will bring significant population growth and is likely to put stress on the ability of local communities to provide needed services. In short, the report was a reminder of how much Colorado and its neighbors had at stake when Congress debated the oil shale provisions of the 2005 Energy Policy Act – a poorly drafted and imbalanced law pushed by the Bush Administration.
"The 2005 Act calls for a crash program. I share the view of many West Slope Coloradans who are opposed to this crash program and rushing commercial development before the Interior Department knows enough to do it right and before Colorado’s communities have a chance to prepare for what it will bring. My amendment will slow that process down so that we can be thoughtful about oil shale development."