Doug Lamborn: “I hate to have to disagree with my colleague from Colorado on this issue, but I definitely do so. Oil shale resources in…”

“I hate to have to disagree with my colleague from Colorado on this issue, but I definitely do so. Oil shale resources in the United States, as was just stated, are tremendous. The potential is that there could be 2 trillion, not billion, 2 trillion barrels of oil in place in the oil shale bands of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It is, therefore, a strategically important domestic resource that should be developed on an accelerated basis to reduce our growing dependence on politically and economically unstable sources of foreign oil imports. The Department of Interior has issued the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and is now working on regulations for a commercial leasing program. Stopping them now in their tracks would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. I should point out, Mr. Chairman, that the research and development of this important resource have been paid for by the private sector at no cost to the taxpayer. The Udall amendment is unnecessary, because oil shale provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 require approval of the governor before commercial leasing can go forward. So it is not yet entirely even in place. Therefore, this amendment would delay development of this important domestic resource.”