Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Why are the Saudis content to allow oil prices to remain this low and possibly drift lower? I believe it’s because their war on shale never ended; they mean to destroy the long-term financial viability of oil from shale deposits–and that job won’t be finished until investors say, “Never again!”
•France reaffirms opposition to shale gas exploration •Fracking bonanza eludes wastewater recycling investors •Lord Browne: fracking will not reduce UK gas prices •Midnight Sabotage with Transylvania’s Anti-Fracking Activists •Banks Reluctant to Lend in Shale Plays as Evidence Mounts on Harm to Property Values Near Fracking •Shale gas could restrain rising energy costs, says reportFor IEA, shale has no long-term impact on oil price •Beneath the Hype: Track Records and Physical Evidence Cast Doubts on Stories of Oil Plenty •How threatened is Uinta Basin’s rare desert flower?
Oil shales, if they live up to proponents’ expectations and can be produced commercially, could change the economic and political fortunes of the United States and transform the geopolitical map of the world.
Everything depends upon our recognizing the mirage for what it is, and getting on with the project of the century.
Early last week, Shell Oil announced it was shutting down its oil shale research project in western Colorado.
The belief that technology can always overcome natural limits just took a big hit this week when Royal Dutch Shell PLC decided to shut down its pilot oil shale project in western Colorado after 31 years of experimentation.
•Pennsylvania Fracking Study Preliminary Results Released •Democrats will soon have a big, fat fight over fracking •The Darker Shades Of Shale •Ukraine region rejects shale gas project •Estonia becomes self-sufficient on shale gas boom
The real challenges—and costs—of 21st century fossil fuel production suggest that such vastly increased supplies will not be easily achieved or even possible. The geological and environmental realities of trying to fulfill these exuberant proclamations deserve a closer look.This report provides an in-depth evaluation of the various unconventional energy resources behind the recent "energy independence" rhetoric, particularly shale gas, tight oil.
