It seems to me overwhelmingly reasonable to assume that the U.S. fossil fuel industry, led by oil barons like the Koch brothers, would try to push for government policies that favor their industry at the expense of potential future competitors, irrespective of actual market logic. It also seems obvious to me that the U.S. fossil fuel industry is a key backer of the Republican party and a key backer of conservative think tanks and opinion-making organizations. Are these two facts sufficient to prove that the conservative campaign against alternative energy runs counter to economic efficiency? No. It may still be true that government adoption of non-fossil energy sources is a misguided, ideological initiative. But as non-fossil energy costs fall and fall, that position will become harder and harder to defend.
