This article fails to note the price system will deal with shotages better than conservation laws.
Exactly. Moreover, the price system does a much better job than any "energy policy" of ensuring that scarce resources will be used wisely and not wasted.
In other words, if the environmentalists really want conservation, they should simply make sure that reasonable laws are in place to prevent pollution and other externalities, then stand back and let the market do its magic.
It makes sense to use petroleum so long as it is cheaper than the alternatives. Indeed, using more expensive fuels likely means that resources are being wasted.