Ryan Energy Views Seen Easing Conservatives’ Worries Over Romney

Representative Paul Ryan is skeptical that humans are changing the earth’s climate and supports tax breaks for oil producers, positions that will ease concerns among conservatives over Mitt Romney’s record on energy and the environment, according to a Republican energy analyst.

Ryan, whom Romney picked to be his vice presidential running mate, is “in the mainstream” of Republican thinking on energy and environmental issues, said Mike McKenna, an oil industry lobbyist and president of MWR Strategies Inc. in Washington. Romney has shifted positions on whether power plant and car emissions are warming the planet, questioning climate change and challenging government support for developing renewable energy.