T. Boone Pickens More Bullish On Offshore Drilling Than McCain (VIDEO)

Wolf Blitzer interviewed T. Boone Pickens about his sudden push for alternative energy today on The Situation Room. The oilman-turned-renewables-pitchman has been the subject of much buzz in the greeen blogosphere, even earning several mentions and high praise from Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.

Today on TV, though, Pickens sounded a lot more like the oilman, when Blitzer asked him about Senator John McCain's support for offshore drilling. Pickens said he was more aggressive than McCain: "McCain says, OK, off the east and west coasts, I say, east, west coasts and ANWR, get it all."

This comes from the guy who says we can't drill our way out of this problem.

WATCH:

Read more about Pickens and his recent push for wind power in the U.S.

Comments

[Snoop2]

There is no one size fits all when it comes to solving our energy problem.
Oil, nuclear, solar, wind, coal and wave must be evaluated , developed and used where possible.
Unfortunately, new technologys are far off, we are looking out 10 to 20 years before alternate energys will make an impact on our energy needs. In the mean time we must go with what we know, oil and gas while we bring the others along. Providing new mass transportaton and updating existing mass transportation will help alleve some of the energy shortages, but we must have a major commitment to establish transportation that brings workers to where they work, shoppers to where they shop, and vacationers to where they vacation . In summary we must get the masses out of gasoline powered vehicles as soon as possible.

[dadw5boys]

ANYTHING TO STOP BEING THE SAUDI'S SLAVES, AS THE SAUDI'S CALL AMERICANS ADDICTED TOI OIL.

[Birdman]

We are addicted to oil and we do not have near enough to get away from the Saudi's oil either, if you believe we do I suggest you do some research. We consume 20 million barrels a day in the US. the US stated reserves are only 21 billion of roughtly 1000 days (3 years) of current US consumption that is provided they could pump all that they think they have, and we do not increase our consumption.

[joebaggadonuts]

See There Will Be Blood. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Will_Be_Blood

[geobushono]

The real-life Mr. Burns.

[HumeSkeptic]

I'm waiting to see his detailed plans. Some of what he says is pure bunk. For example, he wants all heavy machinery and trucks to switch to natural gas, presumably to reduce dependence on foreign oil. But U.S. has like 3% of world's natural gas reserves. Most of it is in Russia and Iran.

[robivecchi]

and Pickens owns a significant amout of that 3%

[luckyoldson]

Pickens: "America is in a hole and it's getting deeper every day. We import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war. I've been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of."

[luckyoldson]

So now we're asking an oilman if we should drill for more...OIL???

Have we asked McDonald's about whether we should be eating more hamburgers yet?

[whiteboyblues]

Sounds like a good plan, I just don't trust him.

[WIpatriot]

Trust T-Boone as far as you can spit.

[Vinca]

I heard Pickens on Cnn, He thinks we should attack this oil problem on all fronts, and begin soon , He is right and sincere, I think, He doesn't have to worry about making any more money

[luckyoldson]

Drilling today will reap the rewards of more oil in 8-12 years.

Do YOU have any idea what oil will cost by then? And if it's less than the oil companies feel they can make money by exploring and drilling...what then?

Oil was at $28 when little Georgie took over...and that's exactly why the oil companies weren't drilling then...not worth the risk.

[Canaris]

Sadly, the people who don't have to worry about making more money never seem to stop worrying about making more money.

[NoBo08]

Just curious if anyone has ever read this report:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/2001/index.html

[joebaggadonuts]

Utter BS. A. It's not a good plan. B. I don't see any execution since 2001. The real plan was to attack Iraq to raise the price of oil but get the US Oil interests into Iraq. That plan worked.

[RRK70]

I watched Pickens testimony to the Homeland Security committee and I have to say he came off rather well. At numerous times throughout Pickens testimony, several Senators seemed to always pick up on the offshore drilling and the "bridge" it would provide to transitioning to alternatives.

PICKENS REITERATED EACH TIME THAT DOMESTIC OIL IS A SMALL COMPONENT in a policy of transitioning from oil, and it seemed to me he was quite sincere. Pickens stated he was an American first, oilman second, and I want to believe he was being genuine. The Senators on the committee, on the other hand, seemed to hear only what they wanted to (offshore drilling).

[vippy]

Until we in TX and OK can pump more than 500 gal of oil from our wells and not get paid for the rest much like the farmers do for not producing then I start believing him or anyone else who
say we must drill ourselves out of this situation. Why can't we get our oil out of the ground so we
don't have to import?

[rudyinbama]

So everybody's going to believe this Swiftboat-funder who renegged on his deal to pay up if proved his co0mmercialos were lies?
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/062608dnnatpickens.3a6c2d1b.html

[NoBo08]

So, according to the article one says yea, the other says nay. Not proof of anything was presented. Your point?

[RoloTomassi]

The point is that he's talking out of both sides of his mouth and is an known supporter of false-claim attack ads; if in doubt about what he's up to, go with what you know for certain about him--and for me that means he's not to be trusted.

[Bitsko]

I would love to know who named this gazillionaire who made much of his money off of oil to be the messiah of energy? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

[sandiegoconservative]

An energy/business man proposing an energy solution - a problem

A politician and hedgefund investor and member of a board of directors - the solution

Does that make a lot of sense to you?

[satyriasis]

Good. Drill here rather than murdering tens of thousands of foreigners to steal their oil.

[Vinca]

WHY DO WE WANT ALL THIS OIL WE HAVE TO STAY IN THE GROUND< DRILL AT ONCE

[olephart]

Your grandchilder will hate you when they're starving to death in the cold.

[webweaver]

Mr Pickens:

You have my attention with your effective ads. Nary a nuclear power plant anywhere to be seen.

And that's the way it should be.

We can't drill our way out of this problem, that's what you said. Well, we can't nuke our way out of it either.

Sustainable means sustainable, not convenient.

[YesWeCanada]

The Milk Shack drinkers only care about themselves. Whatever trade off in oil and natural gas for the potential damage to ANWAR and pristine Coast lines are a net negative to the American public. Big Oil and their lackeys in Gov't are addicted to non-State owned oil. This is half the reason for being in Iraq and looking towards Iran and beefs with Venezuela. Big oil and their enablers were shut out of these markets.

Most of America's foreign oil and natural gas comes from Canada and Mexico. Both are free markets and the large American Oil companies are loving it but it's never enough.

The only real solutions are conservation, technology ( i.e. more from less) and renewables.