DENVER—A House committee has approved Colorado congressman Doug Lamborn’s bill that would require the Interior Department to offer more leases on federal land for oil shale research and commercial development.
The Committee on Natural Resources passed the bill Wednesday. It now goes before the full House.
Lamborn, a Republican, told the committee the Obama administration has essentially halted shale research and development while other nations are moving ahead.
The National Wildlife Federation criticized the vote, saying the technology isn’t in place and potential environmental and economic impacts haven’t been studied well enough.
Companies are drilling into shale formations to extract liquid oil, but they’re still researching how to make the process economically viable.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said questions remain over how shale development would affect the West’s water.
