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(CNS News.com) -- The political left hate the most effective forms of energy, such as natural gas and uranium, because they think "Western civilization is bad" and must be undermined, said energy expert Michael Shellenberger before the House Oversight Committee on Sept. 15. He also said it is the poorest countries in the world that suffer the most from the left's war on energy.
At the hearing, "Fueling the Climate Crisis: Examining Big Oil's Prices, Profits, and Pledges," ranking member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Shellenberger, "Why does the left hate so much the two [energy sources] at the top that are clean," natural gas and uranium?
Shellenberger, president of Environmental Progress and Time magazine's "Hero of the Environment," said, "Because they provide the most abundant energy. And if you think that Western civilization is bad, or if you think human beings are bad, then you want to move toward energy-dilute fuels, which provide too little energy to sustain Western civilization."
Jordan also asked about the Democrats' relentless attacks on the profits of oil companies and whether reducing fossil fuel production is a good idea.
"No," said Shellenberger, and added, "not only that, but, Meta/Facebook, Apple, and Google had profits of $39 billion, $30 billion, and $76 billion last year, and I didn't see this committee holding hearings on those profits."
"Moreover, the Interior Department distributed just 200 leases for oil and gas development during President Biden’s first 19 months in office," he said. "During Obama and Trump there were 10 times as many leases. No president since Richard Nixon has leased out fewer than 4.4 million acres during his first 19 months in office."
Shellenberger also challenged some of the claims made by other witnesses at the hearing.
Someone on the committee said that "New York is moving away from [natural] gas," said Shellenberger. "That's false. New York burned -- natural gas and oil went from 77% to 89% of its electricity supply between 2020 and 2021 because New York shut down a perfectly functioning nuclear power plant.
"So, New York is not moving away from gas, it's more dependent on gas because of the war on American energy," he said. "So, in terms of misinformation, we've seen some here today."
The best-seeling author also warned about Europe's war on energy.
Decreasing production there "will result in more deaths from cold, pollution, and industrial collapse" this winter, he said. "It's going to be devastating."
"The people that are suffering the most" from this war on energy "are the poorest countries," he added. "Countries like Pakistan, which are being outbidded for LNG [liquified natural gas] supplies by Europe that are going to suffer the most. As usual, it is the poorest countries in the world that will suffer the most from the war on natural gas."