In Fight For Energy Independence, Pickens Has New Weapon

WASHINGTON — Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens is adding a new wrinkle to his push for U.S. energy independence: monthly updates to remind Americans how much money they're paying for foreign oil.

Pickens, a billionaire who is spending $60 million on a high-profile campaign to boost the use of wind power and natural gas, said Tuesday the updates would be a yardstick for measuring the incoming Obama administration's progress on its goal of eliminating Middle East oil imports within a decade.

"You watch, we will elevate the interest in this," he said.

Pickens and environmental advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said oil-rich Middle East nations are using billions of U.S. energy dollars to build new schools, roads and airports while America's infrastructure crumbles. They made the comments during a briefing at the Capitol.

Americans in December sent $19.3 billion overseas to foreign governments for their oil, said Pickens, citing government figures.

"It is outrageous that we are sending billions of dollars _ $432,000 per minute _ overseas to foreign countries while domestic programs at home remain severely underfunded," said Pickens, who plans to highlight the monthly figures on his Web site.

Pickens met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several House and Senate members to promote his plan. He urged them to include money in the economic stimulus plan they are crafting for converting 350,000 large commercial trucks such as 18-wheelers to natural gas.

"I think they are thinking about all of this very seriously," Pickens said.

Story continues below

advertisement

Pickens last July unveiled a plan to cut U.S. dependency on foreign oil by increasing the use of wind power and natural gas. Pickens wants to erect wind turbines in the Midwest to generate electricity, replacing the 22 percent of U.S. power produced from natural gas. The natural gas then could be used for transportation. Kennedy backs Pickens' proposal.

Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota and Washington are the top wind-energy producing states, according to the American Wind Energy Association. There are hundreds of proposals for wind-energy projects across the country, including plans for an offshore Cape Cod wind farm that has sparked a bitter fight in Massachusetts.

Boone last year delayed his own massive Texas wind-farm plans, blaming a lack of financing and declining petroleum prices. He's also faced opposition from West Texas landowners.

He has urged the government to begin building transmission lines for wind-generated power or provide the right of way on private land and extend tax credits so the private sector can build the lines. Pickens has also called for a 10-year extension of a tax credit for energy producers.

___

On the Net:

Pickens Plan: http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/

Comments

[matk62]

I reference your story in a recent post on my blog:

( http://www.pay4rides.com/2009/01/fight-for-energy-independence/ )

Developing oil alternatives is just one half of the puzzle with the other half being conservation. Gradually changing our sources of energy would be nicely complimented by all of us just consuming less. Attacking this problem from both sides will result in dramatic reductions of imports.

[cayuse]

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE does not contribute to GREEN ENERGY

It is a Foreign Policy for Israel to keep cash out of arabs hands

It is a way for Domestic Producers, like EXXON who made 55 billion last year to cut the supply of domestic oil and raise the price increase profits.

What does any of this do for promoting or creating GREEN ENERGY. I suppose if you starve to death someone you lower poverty?

[cayuse]

So the Oil billionaires make trillions of $$$GREEN. The same Oil barrons who have had their way for 8 years.

They are building new effecient refineries all over the world for the new trading outside of the US

Energy Independence is a foreign policy for Israel and a way to raise the price of gas in the US. What happens when supply is less. Especially 75% less

The price of oil by cutting the supply will not move us to GREEN ENERGY

[mamacat]

Sounds like Pickens and Kennedy are on the right track.

[RealityBaseCamp]

How 'bout a monthly update of how much coal burning his plan will take offline?

Jan: None
Feb: Zip
Mar: Nada
April: 1000 metric tonnes (freak windmill vs. boiler accident)
May: Not so much
June: Zero

[pokemon]

Any vehicle that runs on fossil fuels is missing the point. We need to become independent from the fuels not the producers.

[pokemon]

Just wonder what was in the last post that required it to be moderated?

[pokemon]

Look we can take a car and convert it to run on any solid biofuel, its called Wood Gasification and was used in the first 2 world wars to power vehicles during embargo's of oil. FEMA has plans for it that were introduced after the 70's oil crisis.

We do not need oil, they just keep us addicted because nobody cares to believe people when they say things like: "My vehicle uses wood gas and a hydrogen gas made by splitting water using my alternator to run my vehicle"... sure I cannot go 75 MPH but if you care about that you'll never investigate the alternatives.

[KillTheMessenger]

How many cars where there in the US during WW I? How many cars with wood gasifier where there in WW II? How many cars are on the road now?

See the problem?

[pokemon]

Or we could keep our v-8's, drive them 90% less and get a bike. Remember a electric 2 wheel drive vehicle will not get you out of New Orleans during a hurricane.

[mjt218]

I wondered about that sitting in traffic on I-10 this fall . . . .

[pdxoutsider]

Absolutely. I think it's perfectly reasonable to own and operate an SUV, passenger van, truck, or what have you -- just don't use it five times a day to drive one or two miles. I'm in Portland, Oregon, and everybody here uses a variety of transit options including bussing, street car, light rail, bikes, ridesharing, etc., and driving when necessary. I haven't used my own (petroleum-fueled) car in months, but I'm glad to have the option. I'll be even more glad, though, when alternative fuel sources proliferate in the marketplace. Pickens is stumping on a valid platform, we should be spending that money here.

[Tommygun264]

Natural gas produces just as much, if not more, greenhouse gasses when burned - converting to natural gas has no environmental benefit. Also, Mr. Pickens neglects to inform people that he has used his oil wealth to purchase a large controlling interest in natural gas production. As far as the production of electricity, the technology currently exists to make the US completely energy independent within a decade, provided the nation converts to hybrid and pure electric vehicles and enough money is invested in upgrading our national energy grid infrastructure. As far as vehicles are concerned, more than 90% of American vehicles can be replaced with pure electric vehicles which meet their individual needs and the other 10% can be replaced by hybrid vehicles with pure electric vehicle technology expected to improve to replace them within 10 years or less (the odds are better than the odds of developing the myth of "clean coal").

[Prole-NY]

"Natural gas produces just as much, if not more, greenhouse gasses when burned - converting to natural gas has no environmental benefit."

Where do you get that information from? Natural gas produces 71% of the CO2 emissions of diesel fuel for the same energy output.

[newshawk14]

Gasoline, which consists of moderately long chain hydrocarbons, is approximately 30 to
33% carbon while methane is 20% carbon. So there is a significant reduction in CO2
emissions. Mr. Pickens is suggesting that only long haul trucks be converted, as a way
of reducing foreign energy dependence. My only worry, is where the methane comes
from, if it is from oil shale, there are some tough environmental questions that need to
be answered. As for wind farms, I think that is a no brainer, However, the electrical grid
will probably have to be modernized, which I understand is already being considered.

[KillTheMessenger]

If you want to do something about the energy used by trucking you don't convert trucks to NG. You build electric railway lines to go from coast to coast.

This is just another distraction to make him money that won't solve our problems.

[SARGE1]

Please Do Not Get Stuck On Stupid !! Pickens Plan Does make Good Sense Sure He Will Make Money But Who cares And Someone Will Always Make Money !
Vehicles Have Been Running Off Of CNG For 100 Years. What The Needs Are Muti Forms Of Energy Current Engines Can Easily Be Converted To Run Off Of Bio Fuels And CNG. So All This Arguing Is Pure Bullshit. You Can Take Any Vehicle And Convert It To Be A Bio Or CNG Powered Hybrids. This Would Fully Release America From Overseas Oil. The Only Problem Is Doing It The Technology Has Been Here For Years.

Oh And For All Of You Brain Washed Ill Informed Out There Brazil Has Gone To A 80% BIO Fuel Nation And They Only Use 1% Of There Available Farming Land Yes 1 %. In America We Only Use 36% Of Available Farm Land For All Our Farm Needs.

The Key Is CNG Bio And Hybrid Use All 3 And Problem Is Solved !!

-Sarge

[KillTheMessenger]

Wow... is that poor trolling or just the result of dropping out of high school really early?

[SARGE1]

What Is Your Major Malfunction ? I Read What You Post And You Have Little To No Idea What So Ever About Automobiles. So Please Post A Fact Or Keep It To Yourself A## Clown

-Sarge

[Josh Nelson - Huffpost Blogger]

Sad to see Huffington Post promoting this garbage so uncritically.

[ObjectiveRealist]

?

This post is straight news from AP, promoting nothing. I'd say Huffington Post is giving credit where credit is due and pointing out the weaknesses of Pickens' eponymous plan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/14/pickens-plan-floundering_n_157672.html
If I missed a fawning post elsewhere, fine, but if he accomplishes nothing but dispelling the idea that windmills cannot supply enough energy for the country, it's easily worth $60M of T. Boone Pickens' wealth, to me.

[KillTheMessenger]

The problem is not with having "windmills" or more correctly wind turbines. The problem is with Mr. Pickens trying to make the taxpayer pay for the necessary transmission line infrastructure that would make the project unprofitable if it didn't come as a gift to him. The other problem lies in his peddling of an old failed business of his which has no chance of succeeding, which has lost him large amounts of money and for which he now needs a bailout of sorts. Especially one that he will never have to pay back. Those are the best.

Just because you want something badly enough done does not mean you have to become someone's fool, you know. Especially not if the man is operating like any common war profiteer.

:-)

[Tommygun264]

Yeah, they don't even take into account the two recent toxic waste spills from the solar and wind farms that poisoned thousands of acres of land and drinking water supplies. Oh wait, those spills were from the "clean coal" plants we've been hearing so much about.

[shamwow]

What is hypocritical about T. Boone, is that he's fine with making a ton of money off of them, but he doesn't want to see any of the windmills from his MASSIVE property. It's o.k. for everyone else though.

[joeneri]

Wind, Solar and other renewables should be used to power the electric grid as much as possible to eliminate the need for coal. Natural gas should be used to heat homes to eliminate the need for heating oil; biodiesel should power trucking. And finally, since auto manufacturers are already building hybrids and electric cars, why not let them continue instead of forcing them to retool for natural gas? Why replace one fossil fuel in engines with another?

Oh, and anyone, including Pickens, who builds wind turbines in the Plains and Midwest should not be allowed the riparian rights to water lying underneath the wind turbine sites. Water belongs to the municipalities and the States, not private companies.

[Greenguy25]

The Pickens Plan has some holes and no doubt he will make money for himself in whatever he does accomplish, but don't we need people like this to drive the new "energy age".

Any plan proposed by anyone, is going to be picked apart, (no pun intended) but lets give credit where it is due. How many other billionaires in this country besides Ted Turner are making an effort to use their massive fortunes to find solutions to this problem?

http://www.mygreenscene.com

[KillTheMessenger]

Do we need a war profiteer type to become energy independent?

I don't think so.