Washington, D.C. – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will conduct a field hearing on the estimated 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil locked in oil shale on federal land in Utah and Colorado. The hearing will focus on emerging technologies for extracting the oil and new federal RD&D leases to help refine the technology and bring the oil to market. 

The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m, Thursday, June 1, in the auditorium of the Grand Junction City Hall at 250 North 5th Street in Grand Junction, CO. Chairman Domenici will chair the hearing and Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, and Ken Salazar, D-CO, are slated to participate. Salazar is a member of the Energy Committee.

The hearing is part of a two-day trip led by Chairman Domenici to visit oil shale test facilities in Colorado and Utah. The senators will visit four facilities owned by Shell Exploration and Production Company, Paraho Corp, Oil Tech Inc. and Oil Shale Exploration Company. Salazar will join Domenici in visiting the Colorado sites while Hatch will join the tour of the Utah sites.

The senators issued the following statements:

Chairman Domenici:

“When we wrote the energy bill, we instructed the Department of Interior to issue R D&D oil shale leases within the year. They are poised to do so within the month. Twenty companies bid for these leases, which reflects a broad renewed interest by the oil industry. 

“I am firmly committed to environmentally-responsible oil development. I’m going to Colorado and Utah to see for myself that that’s how it will be done. If we can develop this oil responsibly and affordably, now is the time to do it. This new oil source could complement our conservation efforts and bridge the gap to the oil-free economy we are all working toward.” 

Senator Hatch:

“One sure way to drive oil prices down is to increase the supply of oil, especially here at home. We have more recoverable oil in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado than in the Middle East, and this field hearing will help us learn how to tap into this resource as quickly, and responsibly, as possible.”

Senator Salazar:

“This hearing and tour will provide an opportunity for local communities to lend their voice to this issue and an opportunity to hear from government and business officials. We must address oil shale development in a thorough and thoughtful way. It is critical that we avoid the boom and bust Colorado experienced 25 years ago.”