With many oil sale plays in the US under development, we are getting a pretty good sense of what oil shale will mean to oil development in the US. Unless, of course, you start to talk about the Monterey shale in California. This shale play has the potential to be another came changer in the oil boom, and Occidental Petroleum (OXY 0.58%) may be in the best position to capture value from this region.
Aside from having the largest acreage by a long shot. Investors in Occidental should care more about the Monterey than other players like Plains Exploration and Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY) because it could mean so much more in terms of delivering value to the bottom line. Since Plains is now one smaller cog in mining giant Freeport McMoRan (FCX -1.96%) and Berry is still muddled in the Linn Energy (LINEQ) acquisition, it's hard to see anyone other than Occidental being the best bet to play the Monterey shale. Tune into the video below where Fool.com contributors Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy further explain the potential of this major shale play and what it will take for players like Occidental to make this shale play profitable.
