Republican U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch is telling Utah state lawmakers that Western oil shale reserves need to be tapped to help get gas prices under control.
A legislative committee asked Hatch and Utah Republican Representative Rob Bishop to explain why the country is facing an energy crisis. Hatch says a moratorium on drilling for oil shale on federal land in Utah and other Western states needs to be lifted.
Drilling for oil shale has widespread support in Utah, but Democrats in Colorado and Wyoming are skeptical.
Oil shale enjoyed a fleeting promise during the 1970s when oil prices skyrocketed, but was abandoned by the early 1980s when prices dropped and Exxon shut down major operations in western Colorado.
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