Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry called on the leaders of the Democrat-controlled Congress to allow a vote to overturn the ban on the production of oil shale in the Mountain West.

Oil shale, first explored in 1921 in Colorado, is sedimentary rock that over the course of millions of years would geologically mature into crude oil.  Scientists have developed a process that speeds up the geological process by millions of years to turn oil shale into crude oil in a few short years.

The Mountain West of the United States is home to the world’s largest deposits of oil shale.  Its estimated 2 trillion barrels of oil is three times greater than the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia and more than the reserves of Iran, Venezuela, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Russia combined.

As a point of reference, 1 trillion barrels of oil is approximately the same amount of oil the world has used since oil was first extracted for commercial use in 1859.

“Oil shale has the potential to help us achieve American energy independence much sooner than anyone realizes.  And yet the Democrat-controlled Congress is content to keep it locked away and watch as gas prices reach record highs,” Congressman McHenry stated.

Last December, Congressional Democrats attached a rider to a U.S. Department of Interior appropriations bill that prohibited the Department from leasing federal lands for the production of oil shale.

“The energy crisis is crippling the American economy and driving up gas prices for Western North Carolina families.  With oil shale, we can power the American economy with American energy and create good-paying American jobs,” Congressman McHenry stated.

With our dependence on foreign oil having grown to 66.19% in 2007, the United States will now be sending nearly $1 trillion overseas each year to bolster the economies of hostile foreign regimes.
   
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