THE ENERGY OPPORTUNITY - The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America's Future - page 208

ei cient cars. But those companies and their supporters are ot en skep-
tical. Many of the same people who claim to want to be their friends
issue press releases warning of massive risks from shale gas develop-
ment, describing apocalyptic dangers from nuclear power, and insist-
ing that those companies should pay higher taxes. As far as many oil
and gas supporters are concerned, environmental advocates have been
prone to exaggerating risks.
Put yourself in the shoes of a shale gas producer confronted by an
environmental group that promises gains in demand for natural gas
if climate legislation is passed. h e group asks for your support, even
though your traditional political allies, all longtime supporters of oil
and gas, oppose the bill. If you back the legislation, and later come
under i re for the local impacts of shale gas production, odds are you
will no longer have any friends at all. h at is not a gamble many execu-
tives or their supporters are willing to make. For most supporters of oil
and gas production, then, the best course of action is clear: defend the
status quo. Oil and gas production has boomed in recent years without
government action. Why ask for anything more?
Alas, such an at itude is shortsighted, at least for many big oil and
gas players. Environmental groups and their allies lack the power to
pass big new laws alone, but they can cause massive problems for oil
and gas developers. Targeted political campaigns that leverage local
concerns can do real damage; witness the successful ef ort to delay the
Keystone XL pipeline in 2011. Lawsuits can tie up development for
years if not decades even if development is legally allowed. Regulators
can impose rules that producers i nd deeply problematic, and even if
future administrations change them, permanent damage may be done
in the meantime.
Moreover, although some natural gas developers may do i ne absent
government ef orts to curb climate change or cut oil consumption
that also boost demand for natural gas, others that own more marginal
resources may not. Many should therefore conclude that the poten-
tial benei ts of allying with those who seek to confront climate change
and cut oil consumption outweigh the risks. Oil and gas producers
might also i nd common cause with supporters of alternative energy in