DENVER - Public hearings begin Tuesday in Colorado on the viability of oil shale as an energy resource. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is encouraging the U.S. to take another look at production from oil shale, but opponents of the controversial technology involved say, "Not so fast."

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is in the midst of a series of public hearings on allowing oil shale development on public lands in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The industry claims oil shale is an untapped energy source that will help wean the U.S. from its dependence on foreign fossil fuels. But Randy Udall, co-founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil USA, says, unlike other shale energy projects, such as in North Dakota or Texas, oil shale here remains something of a pipe dream.

"Oil shale is a much misunderstood resource. It's the petroleum equivalent of fool's gold. We've been trying to do this for more than a century and we're still in the research and development phase."

The concern is that the extraction process is unproven, costly and difficult, with the potential to alter landscapes and pollute the region's water supplies.

It's not just environmentalists who are concerned: investors are also questioning the economic viability of oil shale. Andrew Logan is the director of oil, gas and insurance programs for the institutional investment firm Ceres.

"It's not an economic slam dunk by any means. It's more like a Hail Mary shot from half court from an industry that's run out of ideas and run out of options."

Meanwhile, farmers and ranchers are concerned about the potential impacts on Colorado's water supply.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union executive director Ben Rainbolt says his group supports energy independence, but some important questions about the impact on the region's watershed need to be addressed.

"We hear anywhere from estimates of one to three barrels of water needed for every barrel of oil produced. Water is already a very scarce resource and the watershed of the Colorado River is the very lifeblood of the ranching and farming community."

Nearly two million acres of public land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming could be available for oil shale leases under the BLM proposal.

Hearings will be held Tuesday in Rifle, Wednesday in Denver, and Thursday in Cheyenne.

The hearing schedule and locations can be found at tinyurl.com/3pbzour



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Southwestern Pennsylvania is a major U.S. hotspot for gas extraction through fracking, but new polling reveals overwhelming public support for tighter industry oversight.

More than four in ten Pennsylvanians told pollsters they'd support an outright ban on fracking.

Sean O'Leary, senior researcher at the Ohio River Valley Institute, said the poll was conducted to assess voters' attitudes toward the fracking industry.

Multiple questions were asked about what could be done to minimize or reduce some of the impacts of fracking.

"And what we found was that, across the board, across a variety of different measures," said O'Leary, "more than 90% of all Pennsylvanians supported increased efforts in those regards."

O'Leary points to a recent University of Pittsburgh study that found significant health risks associated with living near fracking sites.

The poll shows 86% of Pennsylvanians are broadly concerned about water, and 82% about air pollution.

Nearly eight in ten say they worry about the effects of pollution on their family's and community's health. And more than four in ten believe fracking has negative effects on air and water quality.

O'Leary said voters in Pennsylvania are still generally supportive of the natural gas industry.

But he said he believes that's the result of what he called "a widespread misunderstanding" that fracking is vital to Pennsylvania's economy.

He contended fracking has led to a net loss of jobs and population in some counties, causing significant economic loss to these regions.

"The other thing that I think a lot of people are not aware of is that in Pennsylvania, in just the last four years, the fracking industry has laid off 40% of its workforce," said O'Leary. "Four out of every 10 workers in fracking have lost their jobs."

He said early industry-funded studies predicted fracking would create around 250,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.

But recent data show it's been fewer than 20,000, or less than one-percent of the state's total workforce.

A recent study from the Sierra Club found people in Brookfield, Connecticut, could face severe effects from a proposed compressor station expansion.

The pipeline's owners conducted their own health study but the Sierra Club said it was flawed and did not account for several factors. The new study showed people nearby will face higher fine particulate matter emissions and many other noxious gases, like carbon monoxide.

Kerry Swift, a longtime Brookfield resident, said it began with one compressor station back in 2006.

"The next year they put in for two and now they want four," Swift explained. "There's these three huge interstate pipelines that are aging and they're putting more and more compressor stations on them; putting more and more gas through them, which they weren't built for."

A major issue Swift and other residents have with the expansion is the emissions will vent 1,900 feet from Whisconier Middle School. The town's elected officials and residents want the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to deny the project's air permits. Along with Brookfield, the village of Athens, New York recently passed a resolution urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to similarly deny air permits for the expansion.

Another concern about the expansion is Connecticut is supposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030.

Nick Katkevich, campaign organizing strategist for the Sierra Club, noted an electric compressor station could be better for the environment but said blowdowns would still be a problem.

"Basically what's happening is the company needs to release pressure on the pipeline so they'll do it at the compressor facility and basically just shooting huge amounts of fracked gas into the air," Katkevich explained.

The companies have said it would be too expensive to convert the compressor station to electricity. Katkevich added along with committing to air monitoring in Brookfield, the state's energy department should meet with people in town before approving expansion permits. However, the department has declined the invitation for two years.

New York State authorized utilities to develop thermal energy network pilot programs to further its decarbonization goals. Thermal energy networks use non-emitting energy sources like geothermal boreholes or waste-heat, to heat and cool buildings. Eleven pilot projects stem from commitments made in the 2022 Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act.

Allison Considine, senior campaigns and communications manager for New York, Building Decarbonization Coalition, said college campuses with these systems are seeing a striking number of benefits.

"Using a thermal energy network, especially with geothermal is about six times more efficient than using a traditional gas furnace or oil furnace," she explained.

She added that buildings must go electric if New York will reach its decarbonization goals. Though the state's Building Code Council included the All-Electric Buildings Act in its 2025 draft code update, neighborhoods still face challenges in implementing thermal energy networks. Considine said barriers in state law prevent utilities from connecting multiple independently owned buildings to a thermal energy network.

The pilot programs could reach active construction by 2026 or 2027. They'll be online for five years so the respective utility agencies can gather data about their efficacy. But, to ensure the transition to cleaner fuels, Considine said certain laws have to be changed to move New York away from fossil fuel energy systems.

"And there's a provision on the books, we kind of call it New York's pro-gas mandate, which requires utilities to continue delivering gas service if a customer demands it, even if there is a less polluting, more affordable alternative for that customer," she added.

The New York HEAT Act would end this rule and allow the state to move toward a more energy-efficient future. The bill gives the state's Public Service Commission authority to align utility companies with the state's climate laws. It also phases out gas line extension allowances, which reduced the use of gas in the state.