It's Not All Or Nothing In The Oil Versus Alternatives Debate

I saw a parade of oil industry representatives plead for a transparent and fact-based public dialogue about our energy options for the future at the American Petroleum Institute (API) 2009 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) las week.

We should step away from the all-or-nothing debate on fossil fuels vs. renewables, they said, stop demonizing any of our potential energy sources, and get serious about addressing our energy problem before it

But in the next breath, apparently unaware of the obvious contradiction in it, I saw those same executives complain bitterly about the policymakers who stand in the way of their progress. I heard them discount the potential of wind and solar to meet our energy needs, while trumpeting the much smaller footprint of modern oil and gas production. I heard overblown claims about how technology will continually increase reserves, and how offshore drilling in America could solve our problems if only they were allowed to do it.

One executive decried the