The United States has as much as 8 times as much oil in the form of "shale oil" as all of Saudi Arabia's oil. America could end all imports of foreign oil if these shale oil resources were developed. The Wall Street Journal editorial page then picked up the theme of accessing America's shale oil resources, shortly after publication in the New Media Journal. America's vast supplies of shale oil has not been tapped because it was too expensive when oil was trading at $19 per barrel. And no one has taken action now that oil has exceeded $137 per... 
Maybe if the price of a barrel of oil goes to a million dollars, shale oil resources will be utilized.
It certainly would be interesting to know how high the price of a barrel of oil has to go before shale becomes cost effective.
In all honesty, getting the oil out of shale is extremely difficult. The process entails drilling many feet through the shale, and then pumping highly pressurized and heated gas into the shale reserve. This liquifies the shale and the pressure causes it to spout like a geyser from a well which can be as far as a mile away. Even then, the liquified shale provides a very poor quality oil that is difficult to refine.
This is not to say that shale shouldn't be developed. Anything that helps stop the importation of oil from the mooozie beasts should be developed and utilized.
However, another vast, more practical, source of oil is readily available but barely being tapped. These are the tar sands located in Canada and parts of the northern USA. Like shale, the reserves of oil inherent in domestic and Canadian tar sand reserves eclipses the total amount of oil in all of the Mideast. It is much easier to get the oil out of tar sands, but like shale, the oil is of a much lower quality than the light sweet crude that the Saudi savages float upon.
The time for excuses ended a long time ago. JTF and others have been urging a crash energy program designed to free the West from our energy dependence on the moooozie savages for decades now. It's insane to continue empowering our worst enemies by sending them trillions of petro-dollars.
When will the insanity end ? It might already be too late.
Topic: USA has Shale Oil 8 Times Saudi Arabia's Oil (Read 1119 times)