Another Fossil-Fuel Century Ahead, Researcher Says.

• Position: Terry Surles - Brief Article

Oil is likely to remain a focal point for national security for the foreseeable future, noted Terry Surles, associate director for energy programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

"Basically," he told a recent conference of defense researchers in Washington, D.C., "were entering another fossil-fuel century." It will be "some time" before a new technology replaces the gasoline engine, he said.

The good news? "There will be more oil, not less in the next 20 years," Surles said. The bad news? Dependence upon imported...