Friedman is philosophically right on here. However, there is a nuance that he missed. He seemed to relate the expiring tax credits for renewables to oil usage. Since the renewables in question (wind, solar) are only used for electrical generation, they don't directly impact liquid fuels. The only government actions that could impact gasoline would be ethanol (questionable value) and development of electric/PHEV auto technology. That support, to the extent is exists, is not currently at risk.