Petroleum is capital intensive and pollutes.
It takes Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Locate and Pump Petroleum out of the Earth. It takes Tens of Billions of Dollars to Build and Operate a Facility to Refine Petroleum. Many toxic chemicals released by refineries into the environment cause cancer, birth defects, and serious health problems. Odors from refineries can be more than a nuisance, such as hydrogen sulfide, which can cause serious health impacts or death. Leaks in equipment, oil spills and flares can dump dangerous pollution anywhere.