OIL: New Source

Near the little (pop. 1,500) mountain town of Rifle, Colo, last week, a five-year-old federal experiment reached an exciting climax. The Bureau of Mines announced that in its test plant it had produced oil from oil shale at a cost of $2 to $2.50 a barrel, comparable to the cost of petroleum pumped from the ground in east Texas. "We're over the hill now," crowed Plant Superintendent Boyd Guthrie. "We have the processes and the know-how . . . We're positive we can produce equal or better products than you can get from...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!