Number: RL33359
Title: Oil Shale: History, Incentives, and Policy
Authors: Anthony Andrews, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: The current high oil prices have revived the interest in oil shale. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) identified oil shale as a strategically important domestic resource, among others, that should be developed. EPACT also directed the Secretary of Defense to develop a separate strategy to use oil shale in meeting Department of Defense (DOD) requirements when doing so is in the national interest. Tapping unconventional resources, such as oil shale, has been promoted as a means of reducing dependence on foreign oil and improving national security.
Pages: 29
Date: April 13, 2006