Some people would say there are vested interests in pretty much everything in modern life, even including science.

It seems pretty obvious those who endeavour to reduce our dependence on oil consumption will come under fire from those others invested in it, for example.

That would be the only possible motivation for someone wishing to destroy the credibility of a relevant development with even a small chance of energy revolutionary promise, under the circumstances, when there is no conclusive evidence either way, as far as I can see.

Your goal could be simply to reduce the chances that the project in question will ever get the investor confidence it might need to complete the work in hand.

The argument that things will never change “because that is the way they’ve always been” is more likely to be circumstantial evidence in favour of change about to happen.

Nothing stays the same. Why should physics be any different?

If all things were to stay the same, all scientists might as well give up work.

Would you advocate that, by any chance?