Speaker looks at positive side of fossil fuels
Sep. 22—When we think about fossil fuels, or anything else, bestselling author and philosopher Alex Epstein says we need to weigh the benefits and side effects.
Epstein was the keynote speaker Wednesday at the West Texas Geological Society Fall Symposium at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
Epstein also signed his new book, "Fossil Future — Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal and Natural Gas, Not Less."
The conference, which began Tuesday and ends Thursday, drew about 460 people the first day.
"I think most people, even most supposed experts thinking about these issues are ignoring the benefits of fossil fuels and dramatically overstating the side effects. That's our basic point of disagreement," said Epstein, who is based in Laguna Beach, Calif.
Epstein said he got interested in fossil fuels in 2007.
He founded the Center for Industrial Progress, a for-profit think tank seeking to bring about a new industrial revolution, in 2011. He has also written "The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels," the website says.
"We believe that human beings have the untapped potential to radically improve our lives by using technology to improve the planet across a multitude of industries ...," the site says.
Epstein said he thinks electric cars are an exciting technology.
"I think they should just be offered on the free market and we can see how well they can do in terms of cost effectiveness, where they're currently behind and how they can scale because they have a lot of material requirements. But I'm friendly to the idea. I just am not friendly to forcing it on people," he added.
Epstein said he doesn't think fossil fuels are going away anytime soon.
"No, they're definitely not and I think if we try to make them go away in the U.S. ... they won't go away for other people, but we will be much less secure," Epstein said.
Cameron Griffin and Ben Breyman, both of Endeavor Energy, thought Epstein's presentation was great.
"I read his first book, but I've never seen him speak and I thought he did a fantastic job of speaking. ... I really enjoyed it," Griffin said.
Breyman agreed.
"Just the clarity and being able to communicate with someone that's opposing oil and gas. I think just being able to have level ground and effectively communicate," Breyman said.
If someone on the Green New Deal side was arguing with him, Breyman said it would be more likely that he could have a conversation that went somewhere.
"I really liked his holistic approach of evaluating the positives and the negatives and that people really focus on those negatives to kind of exclude the positive side effects, or benefits of hydrocarbons," Griffin said.
