The high price of crude has stimulated another round of interest in Utah's vast tar sands and oil shale deposits. David Tabet, the Survey's energy and minerals program manager, said some of the biggest deposits are in the Uintah Basin.

Deposits can be difficult to extract or refine and talk of developing them often generates environmental controversy.

"There are large enough lease blocks that exist on state and private lands to start development," Tabet said. But a large-scale project would require federal leases, he added.

Rep. John G. Mathis, R-Vernal, whose district is in the midst of some the greatest deposits of these unconventional fuels, cautioned against getting too excited about oil shale and tar sands. When a boom goes bust, he said, residents are left to pick up the pieces.

"For 25 years, this has been a dream," said Mathis, "and I think it's going to continue to be a dream for a while."

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