Appalachian springs of oil?

A consortium of energy companies, six states, the US Energy Department and the Ontario Petroleum Institute is starting a two-year search of the deep rocks of the Appalachian Mountains for more oil. And why not, with the price of oil so high and ready to stay high—and the conditions to produce oil so prevalent there? The recent find in Utah reflects the same economic and geologic setting. For more on the Appalachian effort, see this folksy but thorough article in The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. (And see this natural petroleum blob close up in the Picture Gallery.)