Bush eyes Utah oil shale

"He's saying that development of that oil shale will affect the high gas prices we're dealing with now, but in order to solve this problem, it's going to take some time," Baza said after the meeting. "Oil shale is not there yet."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who joined Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and former Utah Rep. Jim Hansen in May in making a request for Congress to lift the ban on oil shale leasing, said that Bush's speech "rightfully recognized what Democrats and the elitist environmentalist lobby" regularly ignores: the need for domestic oil.

"The poorest Americans are now spending roughly 50 percent of their income on energy," Hatch said. "The sad thing is that the poor often look to liberals for legislative relief, but in this case they are being sold out by liberals."

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, said he was glad to see the president recognize that Utah can be a leader in producing domestic oil through oil shale.

"We have the capacity to change the dynamic of the world supply and drive down the price at the pump if we focus more on domestic energy resources and promote the development of new technologies," Bennett said.

Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, introduced the "Oil Shale Opportunity Act of 2008" earlier this month that would allow the president to decide to start developing oil shale immediately and skip over the lengthy regulatory process. Like others in the delegation, he is a big proponent of moving oil shale forward.

"We can be energy independent," Cannon said. "The time for talk is over. It is time to act."

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, supports increased domestic production as well as the development of oil shale and tar sands resources in Utah, according to his office.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who also supports the domestic oil proposals, said that "you've got to stop and take notice" when the president singles out a state for such an important issue, and that Utah could be a key player in future energy solutions.

Along with oil shale, Bush also wants to increase access to the Outer Continental Shelf and pushed again for permitting exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, known as ANWR, in Alaska.

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