Due to the rising prices of conventional fuel, unconventional fossil fuels such as oil shale, tar sands, and coal to liquid have gained attention as an energy resource. One of the largest reserve of oil shale in the world is located in the western interior of North America. Development of oil shale in this area could reduce or eliminate the U.S. dependence on foreign fuel sources.

However, oil shale production carries a number of potential environmental impacts. Fuel production associated with oil shale will create increasing competition for limited resources such as water, while potentially negatively impacting air quality, water quality, habitat, and wildlife. Water use, wastewater management, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and land use are the main environmental issues that oil shale production involves. A proper analysis of the interrelationships between these factors and those of the new energy needs required for production is necessary to avoid serious negative impacts to the environment and the economies.

The CLEARuff (CLEAR for Unconventional Fossil Fuel) model evaluates potential fuel production capacity from oil shale within the limits of environmental quality, land use, and economics. The impacts of oil shale development are the outcomes of a complex process that involve water, energy, climate, social pressures, economics, regulations, technical advances, etc., and especially their couplings and feedbacks.  The CLEARuff model integrates all of these components and allows us to analyze the interdependencies among them. 

Our initial focus has been to address industry, regulator, and stakeholder concerns regarding the quantification and management of carbon and water resources impacts. The model focuses on oil shale production in the Western Energy Corridor (Utah, Wyoming, Colorado), but is inherently designed to be extendable to larger regions, levels of production, and different unconventional fuels.