If government and industry estimates are correct, oil shale deposits in the West may contain more than 1 trillion barrels of oil. That's four times the holdings of Saudi Arabia.

In some places in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, a single of acre of land could hold up to 1 million barrels of oil. But this resource is locked up in layers of rock. Extracting and processing it, environmentalists say, would require large amounts of water and energy. There are also concerns about mining waste, which some industry officials say can be overcome with new technology.

However one feels about oil shale development, it's time to speak one's piece about it. Starting Jan. 10 in Salt Lake City, the Bureau of Land Management will conduct a series of scoping meetings in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming to take comments on the potential environmental impacts of oil shale development in those states.

In addition to the meeting in Salt Lake, to be conducted at the Little America Hotel, 500 S. Main, meetings are scheduled on Jan. 11 in Price at the Holiday Inn, 838 Westwood Blvd., and Jan. 12 in Vernal at the Westin Plaza Hotel, 1684 W. U.S. Highway 40. Meetings will be held twice daily beginning at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Oil shale is a controversial energy solution. A recent RAND Corp. study, commissioned in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, urged a cautious approach to oil shale development. The report suggests that the vast oil-shale reserves in the western United States could hedge world oil prices — 30 years from now. The report warned that oil shale mining, processing and disposal of spent shale could cause significant environmental problems.

Although the BLM hearings will focus on environmental impacts, the economic feasibility of oil shale extraction cannot be discounted. It went bust in the early 1980s, despite sizable federal subsidies. Entire towns on Colorado's West Slope were abandoned after oil prices bottomed out in the 1980s and some 2,200 jobs were lost. The RAND report cautions the federal government not to make any major investments in oil shale development until private firms do so.

Industry officials say privately funded exploration will ensure that oil companies take a more reasoned approach.

Responsible use of our public resources needs to be a focal point of this debate. Utahns should take time to be part of this conversation, which could have profound impacts on the West for decades to come.