By Dennis Webb
A Democratic Colorado congressman Wednesday succeeded in convincing the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to strip a $25 million oil shale subsidy from an energy and water appropriations bill.
The amendment by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to remove the funding for oil shale research to reduce the federal deficit passed 208-207.
In Colorado, voting on the amendment split along party lines, with Democrats Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter also supporting it and Republicans Scott Tipton, Doug Lamborn, Mike Coffman and Cory Gardner voting no.
The amendment targeted research into heating and producing oil from kerogen locked in rock, a resource concentrated in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Polis clarified in a release that the amendment didn’t have to do with the ongoing domestic drilling boom involving producing liquid oil trapped in shale.
“We shouldn’t be throwing good money after bad on oil shale research that won’t produce energy for the foreseeable future,” Polis said. “Dumping another $25 million of taxpayer money into oil shale research makes no sense when there isn’t commercially viable technology that will turn it into oil and many energy companies consider it such a low priority.”
The amendment had support from Taxpayers for Common Sense and several conservation groups.
“Even the Republican-controlled House agreed that new taxpayer subsidies for oil shale are a ludicrous use of taxpayer dollars,” said Matt Garrington, co-director of the Checks and Balances Project government and industry watchdog group.
Several energy companies are continuing work on projects aimed at making commercial oil shale viable. Some have research-and-development leases on lands in Rio Blanco County and Utah, and the Bureau of Land Management is considering issuing more of those leases.
Oil shale research subsidy stripped in House vote (The Daily Sentinel)
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