In the tortured history of oil shale development in the western United States, the latest chapter is being edited by U.S. President Barrack Obama. His administration is viewed as hostile to fossil fuel development, and Glenn Vawter would like to see another editor take over later this year.

It’s being called the most aggressive and largest collaboration of its type on the planet, bringing in a “new era” of oilsands development—twelve of the biggest players in the sector have announced a plan to pool their technology research and development (R&D) resources to accelerate improvements in environmental performance by the industry as a whole.

Horizontal drilling technologies, enhanced recovery technologies like polymer floods, and thermal recovery techniques are resulting in improved heavy oil recovery in fields across western Canada.