Paul R. Ehrlich and other Doomsayers stated as far back as the 1970s that they viewed cheap, reliable energy is a BAD thing. They have been on record for decades in their opposition to reliable, plentiful, and affordable energy sources. They likened cheap, plentiful energy to being as dangerous as giving a loaded machinegun to a baby. That is the mentality at work here.
I had a friend who was of the liberal bent. Some years ago I emailed him about how other than politicians who routinely lie about everything, some of my co-workers and I were trying to decide what public figure was the most consistently wrong about everything and I told him I won with Paul Ehrlich. I was trying to see if he would defend Ehrlich. He responded by saying he didn't want me to contact him anymore. Liberals simply cannot stand to have their beliefs challenged.