An expert look at the energy "crisis": an accomplished scientist share his perspective on America's supposed energy crisis and what can be done to remedy the situation.(Cover story)

Dr. Arthur B. Robinson is a biochemist who conducts research on protein chemistry, nutrition, and predictive and preventive medicine. Dr. Robinson is a former faculty member of the University of California at San Diego, and was president and research director of the Linus Pauling Institute. He is a founder and faculty member of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, editor of the newsletter Access to Energy, past president of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness, and author/publisher of the popular Robinson Self-Teaching Home School Curriculum.

THE NEW AMERICAN: Skyrocketing fuel prices have forced energy once again to the forefront of public concerns. What are several of the most important measures that can be implemented to most immediately address our present energy needs?

Dr. Arthur Robinson: Well, our principal energy problem is the same as with virtually all American economic problems: taxation, regulation, and litigation. In the case of the immediate rise in energy prices--specifically automobile fuel prices--there is a terrible shortage of oil refineries. The United States hasn't built any new oil refineries in the past 35 years. In fact, refining capacity has diminished slightly. Yet the oil refining industry spends huge amounts of capital complying with government regulations, only to have the bureaucrats and politicians change their minds and change the rules and require the companies to spend even more to comply with regulations that continue to change and will never be satisfied.

The bottom line is that all the capital that should have gone into new oil refineries went into regulation compliance, a large amount of which has had nothing to do with sound science or the putative goal of solving environmental problems.

Then there is taxation. Oil company capital that would and should be going into exploration, extraction, and refining is instead being consumed by government taxes.

Then, of course, litigation is a major problem because no matter how much a company spends on compliance, regulatory bureaucrats and/or environmental activists can be depended on not to be satisfied and to launch another costly delaying lawsuit.

It gets down, simply, to the fact that political decisions are suppressing technology and restricting our access to energy resources.