...my guess is that high volume extraction from oil shales, if it were to occur here, would occur in the Bakken region first, because there's already pipeline infrastructure there and the energy companies already have leases and so forth.

You’re probably right, and I do know you’ve been an advocate of domestic oil production in the past.  I have to take issue, however, with your position that oil is a non-renewable resource.  There’s relatively new research that suggests that oil is constantly being created by an interaction between hydrocarbons and micro-organisms which exist deep below the earth’s surface.

The problem with “renewable” technologies like solar panels and wind farms is that they simply do not produce energy in sufficient quantities to do the "heavy lifting" necessary to drive this economy.  Solar is unworkable because to produce electricity in sufficient quantities to run a utility plant, you still need water (something that’s in very short supply in the desert) to generate steam to power the turbines.  Personally, I think nuclear power and hydrogen fuel cells are about the most promising technologies out there.   I'd also like to see more natural gas-fired power plants come online.  Natural gas is about the cleanest, and IMO, the most under-utilized resource we have.

Most of the Green River formation is located on federal lands, which means if it can be retrieved cost-effectively, it could create jobs, make the US energy independent and provide us with a way to pay off this crushing national debt we’re now faced with.

Regards,
Scott Perry