Actually, natural gas reserves are strategically more important than coal. Next-generation delivery will be electric and powered from a mixture of sources. The technology and infrastructure is going to require massive public investment and subsidy to develop, in part because we’re running out of time. Remaining oil reserves are overstated.

The main issue I have with your post is ridiculing improvements to US energy policy as hippie-green-liberal nonsense. It’s this decade-old ‘Anti-Gore’ GOP talking point bullshit.

There are environmental benefits to energy policy changes, to be sure, but the main drivers are economics and national security. Every business in my field is getting hit by rising utility and energy costs. If we find an answer to this, it has the potential to radically reshape the cost landscape for a wide range of businesses, not to mention spawning a whole new industry.

Basically, while you we’re getting all worked up ranting about liberals, or socialism, or Al Gore, or Obama… Whatever. The world moved on.