ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the literature that addresses environmental and socioeconomic issues likely to constrain or prohibit the development of oil shale in the western United States. It examines the air quality, water quality and availability, and socioeconomic literature. Although there is a voluminous literature that addresses environmental and socioeconomic issues, a relatively small number of original or primary studies explicitly identify the actual constraints to oil shale development. The Clean Air Act and its subsequent amendments set forth provisions that are applicable to oil shale development in the Piceance and Uintah Basins. Air Dispersion Models Western oil shale reserves are located in areas with rugged terrain, while existing regional air dispersion models have only been developed for flat terrain. Estimating water availability for synfuel development is difficult and imprecise. Political, institutional, and legal factors are complex and difficult to quantify in their bearing on water available for future development.
