Conservatives Say There is Not an Oil Shortage

By: Susan Beach

The oil supply isn’t going to run out for decades, energy experts told conservatives gathered at CPAC.

There’s a lot of exaggerated talk about energy shortages, said Rob Bradley from the Institute for Energy Research. He said there is no need for energy taxes and that consumers have to come first. Bradley wants to promote capitalism in countries with oil so that private businesses can start producing it to make sure the supply is plentiful.

Max Schulz of the Manhattan Institute said the U.S. has to open up areas in the country that are currently off limits to oil mining. The country also should seek oil from Mexico and Russia. “Conservatives tend to shudder at the word diversity” but they need to diversify when it comes to oil supply, Schulz said

Another possible oil source could come from developing countries, said Roy Spencer, a research scientist at the University of Alabama and a leader at the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance. He said be believes poor countries need to build wealth by jumping into oil production.

On the topic of global warming Spencer questioned the cause. He said he doubted that global warning can be blamed entirely on CO2 emissions. How much of it is natural, he said.

Photos: Susan Beach

Photo 1: Rob Bradley

Photo 1 Caption: Rob Bradley is president of the Institute for Energy Research, a non-profit organization that evaluates energy policies. He told the crowd at CPAC that energy taxes are unnecessary.

Photo 2: Max Schulz

Photo 2 Caption: Max Schulz, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, talked about drilling for oil in areas of the country that are currently off limits.

Photo 3: Roy Spencer

Photo 3 Caption: Roy Spencer, a research scientist at the University of Alabama and a leader in the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance, said climate systems are complex and questioned whether global warming is man made or a natural occurrence.