My argument is that the government, as the owner of the resources being extracted, might have both motive and opportunity to raise their prices if extraction co

My argument is that the government, as the owner of the resources being extracted, might have both motive and opportunity to raise their prices if extraction costs drop. Automation means we can do less work but still enjoy the fruits of our labour as if we did more work. I certainly wouldn't oppose that. The Luddites wanted to prevent automation but I don't, so you'll need to clarify if that's not what you meant.