Surface Mining of Non-Coal Minerals. Appendix II: Mining and Processing of Oil Shale and Tar Sands

摘要

This report was prepared in response to a charge given in Section 709 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, P.L. 95-87, namely: to make an in-depth study of current and developing technology for mining of oil shale and tar sands. The report includes comments on the relation of oil shale mining and processing to the Act's environmental provisions. These mineral deposits are described in relation to land, water, air, and biological resources. The report concerns oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, where it is most abundant. The study also describes tar sands of eastern Utah, where almost all the significant deposits are found.