Shale oil and oil shale are different things. You're talking about oil shale, which the US has a ton of, but it is not currently economically viable, but could

Shale oil and oil shale are different things. You're talking about oil shale, which the US has a ton of, but it is not currently economically viable, but could be in the future. Shale oil is different and is recovered by hydraulic fracturing. It can be economically viable depending on the quality of the deposit.