GOLDEN,Colo.—Industry officials say progress is being made in efforts to tap the country’s huge oil shale deposits despite oil prices that have dropped and political and legal hurdles.
Industry and government representatives heard from companies at an oil shale symposium at the Colorado School of Mines on Tuesday. They’ve completed initial trials of their technology or are getting ready to start pilot projects on federal leases in Colorado and Utah.
Federal officials have awarded leases on six parcels of public land for oil shale research. Last year they also backed a plan to open a total of nearly 2 million acres in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah to development.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he’ll scale back the scope of a second round of leases initially offered under the Bush administration.
