supporting the development of economically competitive and environmentally acceptable technologies to produce domestic supplies of liquid fuels from oil shale;

increasing knowledge of environmentally acceptable oil shale waste disposal technologies and practices;

increasing knowledge of the chemistry and kinetics of oil shale retorting;

increasing understanding of engineering issues concerning the design and scale-up of oil shale extraction and conversion technologies;

improving techniques for oil shale mining systems; and

providing for cooperation with universities and other private sector entities.

As part of the program authorized by this section, the Secretary shall carry out a program on oil shale that includes applied research, in cooperation with universities and the private sector, on eastern oil shale that may have the potential to decrease United States dependence on energy imports.

As part of the program authorized by this subsection, the Secretary shall consider the potential benefits of including in that program applied research carried out in cooperation with universities and other private sector entities that are, as of October 24, 1992, engaged in research on eastern oil shale retorting and associated processes.

The program carried out under this subsection shall be cost-shared with universities and the private sector to the maximum extent possible.