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From the Headlines: Subcommittee Examines Roadblocks to Oil Shale Production, Job Creation at Colorado Field Hearing

KKCO: Future of Oil Shale

AP: US Reps. Lamborn, Tipton Hear Wish List of What’s Needed for Commercial Oil Shale Development

A congressional subcommittee hearing on "roadblocks" to U.S. oil shale development gave the energy industry, researchers, residents and the Government Accountability Office a chance to sound off Wednesday on what's needed from political leaders.

Dan Whitney of Shell Exploration and Production Co. said his industry needs a stable regulatory environment and one in which numerous companies can lease public land for research projects…

The BLM is reviewing and potentially revising its 2008 plan for oil shale development following a lawsuit by conservation groups that said environmental impacts weren't thoroughly reviewed.

Whitney said revisiting such a recent document will delay commercialization and waste taxpayer money, while Lamborn accused President Barack Obama's administration of stonewalling.

KJCT: Oil Shale Hearing Draws Crowd, Controversy

Congressmen Scott Tipton and Doug Lamborn visited the Western Slope Wednesday to head up a discussion on potential oil shale development. Nearly a dozen people testified at the Congressional oversight hearing at the Grand Junction Civic Center...

“This is going to take national commitment,” says Congressman Tipton, “to ensure that we're getting our people back to work, developing responsibly American resources on American soil, and getting our economy moving.”

UPI: U.S. House Wants More Oil Shale Options

Washington is throwing up roadblocks to the development of oil shale, which could meet domestic demands for the next 200 years, a lawmaker said.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., charged U.S. President Barack Obama has repeatedly gotten in the way of oil shale development in the country…

Gary Aho, a representative from the National Oil Shale Association, told lawmakers his industry "needs a clear, consistent federal program and a national commitment to develop oil shale."

Daily Sentinel: Shell: Oil Shale Blocked

A rewrite of an environmental study for oil shale development in northwest Colorado is “a waste of taxpayer money” that is hindering development, a Shell Oil official said Wednesday.

Dan Whitney of Shell Exploration and Production Co. said there was no new information since a 2008 programmatic environmental impact statement that required a new statement. Whitney spoke during a congressional oversight field hearing conducted by two Colorado representatives, Scott Tipton and Doug Lamborn, both Republicans serving on the House Natural Resources subcommittee on energy and mineral resources…

The new study is holding back applications for three new leases, limiting the kind of innovation and variety of experimentation that will make oil shale a commercial resource, Whitney said.

Platts: Republicans on US House Panel Criticizes Obama on Oil Shale Policy

US oil shale development has been needlessly stalled by the Obama administration's reexamination of a Bush-era policy that opened 2 million federal acres to possible commercial-scale production, Republicans on a House of Representatives energy panel said Wednesday.

Representatives Doug Lamborn and Scott Tipton, both Colorado Republicans, criticized the Department of Interior's February decision to take a new look at a November 2008 federal rule for commercial development of oil shale…

"The road to viability for the oil shale industry is reliant on a predictable regulatory structure and an environment in which companies can invest in research and development and create jobs," Tipton said. "The proper implementation of our environmental and safety regulations already on the books is a far better strategy than adding additional layers of bureaucracy to the process."

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