My understanding was tar sands should be the focus before moving on to oil shale. Is it fracking that has changed the economics, assuming the economics have changed?
Another Wave Of American Oil
Analysts say a series of 20 new oilfields in Texas could increase domestic output by a quarter over the next decade. The government had better not stand in the way of getting this crude out of the ground.
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=573830&p=1