It appears that Mr. Thomas thinks that there is an infinite supply of oil under the ground. From my point of view, however, the issue is of critical importance as experts say that the world will run out of oil sometime during my lifetime. In Germany, the price of gasoline is twice as expensive as here.
People there drive small cars and often prefer to use the bicycle or their feet for transportation.
This reduces Germany's dependence on oil imports and helps the environment. Neither freedom nor the quality of life are thereby threatened. The problem in America is that we are not responsible people living in a reasonable society. If we do not take action, we may have a silent spring far sooner than we have the ability to prevent. I doubt that it will matter because we may find that some of our cities are underwater and that the rate of skin cancer has doubled or even tripled.