Despite efforts by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to thaw the credit markets, normal lending remains hamstrung. This is a both a significant problem and an enormous opportunity.

Leon Cooperman is one of the best living investors. He’s the founder of Omega Advisor, a $4.5 billion hedge fund based in New York.

According to Leon, “This is the most difficult environment I’ve lived through. And I’ve been doing this for 41 years.”

Capital & Crisis editor Chris Mayer caught up with Leon at a value investing conference recently. Cooperman presented Atlas Pipeline (NYSE:APL) as one of his favorite ideas of the moment — a pick Chris previously recommended to Catital & Crisis readers.

The IEA forecast for a daily increase in global oil production of 31 million barrels by 2030—a 37% jump—sounds like pure fantasy. Do the facts support it? Are big oil companies already searching for that future oil and finding it? Do they have plans to produce it?