Senate Dems Getting Warm and Cozy with T Boone Pickens

Perhaps due to the very concept that a conservative Republican would embrace wind power and well aware of his $10s of millions in advertising resources, too many leading Democratic Party politicians have seemingly embraced T Boone Pickens and have given him extensive private access to private Democratic events.

Now, putting aside the not-minor issue that T Boone is unapologetic for his leading role in funding and supporting the vicious and deceit-laden swift-boating of the Democratic Party Presidential nominee, John Kerry, in 2004, there is the quite serious reality that The Pickens Plan is fatally flawed and those flaws are not brought to the table at these events were Pickens is warmly greeted as "a friend."

Tomorrow, this problematic pattern continues as T Boone will speak to a private Senate D lunch.

Since launching The Pickens Plan in 2008, T Boone Pickens has become a face for American households about the potential for changing America's energy structure.

In short, T Boone advocates for a program that would reduce America's dependence on overseas oil by:

• Constructing a major wind electricity generation and transmission capability


• Use that wind to displace the 20+% of electricity from natural gas


• Use the natural gas, instead, for transportation (cars, buses, trucks)

While T Boone's down-home style and $10s of millions of investment in advertising/ web services etc. have helped build up quite a following, the details of the plan don't stand up to any serious scrutiny:

• The Pickens Plan is not cost effective when compared to other options for reducing our foreign oil dependency;


• Wind is not an easy path for displacing natural gas electricity transmission. In fact, wind and natural gas are natural partners for a cost-effective energy system.


• The plan moves the US from one fossil-fuel dependency (oil) to another (natural gas).


• The Pickens Plan does nothing to reduce the most serious concern in the energy sector when it comes to Global Warming: coal-fired electricity generation.


• And, so on ... the list of problems is quite long.

Even with all these problems, T Boone has lots of friends in Congress, three of whom recently introduced a bill to advance T Boone's plan. From Robert Menendez's web site:

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) were joined today by energy-independence advocate T. Boone Pickens to tout new legislation that would boost vehicles that run on clean natural gas. The NAT GAS Act, introduced today by Menendez and co-sponsored by Reid and Hatch, would extend and increase tax credits for natural gas vehicles and refueling.

That bill would greatly increase resources toward natural gas vehicles when the resources could be better spent elsewhere and otherwise to reduce America's oil dependency.

And, T Boone has had quite a bit of access within leading Democratic Party circles. For example, Nancy Pelosi (whose husband, by the way, invests with T Boone) arranged for T Boone to speak with the House Caucus.

This private access continues tomorrow, as the Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) will (reportedly) have T Boone Pickens as its speaker at its weekly lunch.

DPC Lunches. Every Thursday the Senate is in session, the DPC hosts a lunch at which senators hear from leading figures in government, politics, business and journalism. Past guests have included Al Gore, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Henry Paulson, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, John Sweeney, Rupert Murdoch, Bill Moyers, Tim Russert, and Tom Friedman.

Yes, it seems that T Boone could meet the requirement of being a "leading figure" but we have to wonder whether there is going to be anyone in the room prepared with the information to and willing to challenge T. Boone Pickens' smooth truthiness-laden sales pitch.

And, let us not forget that this is occurring just as the Senate is struggling to figure out how to develop a sensible energy and climate bill to marry up with the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act. Anyone doubt that T Boone will push hard for funding for natural gas vehicles?

Is there no one else?

Now, T Boone has spent much of the time since putting forward The Pickens Plan saying that there is no one else with an energy plan and challenging others to 'come up with a plan' if we don't like his. Well, the reality has been that there were lots of plans out there prior to his launching The Pickens' Plan and there are many still around. If the DPC is interested in having a serious discussion about energy issues with people whose plans will enrich the United States, improve U.S. security, and mitigate climate change, there are many (MANY) people to have in for a lunch before bringing in T Boone.

• How about, for example, Eric Schmidt from Google, who has a compelling presentation and speaks to a clearly achievable and profitable path toward 100% clean electricity within 20 years. Google.org is also investing serious money in clean energy and energy efficiency (strategic investments), with a philosophy worthy of discussion with a group of Senators.


• Or, why not bring in Sunil Paul to talk about the Gigaton Throwdown: looking at nine different paths for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1 gigaton (or more) by 2020, with a cogent discussion of the barriers for actually achieving those reductions?


• Or ... the list is virtually endless.

No, rather than bring in serious people who are discussing serious solutions, the DPC is bringing a snake-oil salesman who merits credit for dishonorable attacks on the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nominee ... Giving T Boone such prominence is bad for energy policy and bad politics. Now, the insanity of this embrace is that The Pickens Plan is a Potemkin Village, on many levels, and is not good on fiscal, energy, or environmental grounds. This is simply bad politics: what should be done is setting Pickens up as the extreme of legitimate debate. He is offering a fossil-fuel heavy (natural gas rather than oil) answer to our challenges, while admitting that Climate Change is a reality. This should be laid out, clearly, as the limit of legitimate debate and discussion (with some elements of Pickens concepts/plan worthy of inclusion) rather than embracing Pickens as some form of (false) messiah.

Some unanswered questions

Monday, I asked the DPC the following questions, to which they have yet to respond:

I understand that the DPC will be having in T Boone Pickens in for a private luncheon this week.
Questions:

• Does this indicate endorsement of "The Pickens Plan"?


• What other energy experts has the DPC brought in for conversations/private lunches in the past year? Past two years?


• Will there be any public record of what is said at this session?


• Has anyone done a financial analysis of The Pickens Plan?


• What concerns does the DPC have over T Boone Pickens' significant role in the swiftboating of Senator John Kerry in 2004?

I will be writing on this within the next 48 hours and would therefore expect a quick turnaround on these questions.

Some discussions of The Pickens Plan

For a concept on how T Boone's gas for vehicles concept could be combined with other developments to potential have a real impact, see: T Boone: Why not get inventive?

Below is a dated list, from last fall, but provides some paths toward understanding The Pickens Plan's strengths and weaknesses.

Brief selection of blogosphere discussions of The Pickens Plan

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: T Boone Pickens, 8/26, A Siegel

Pickens' Plan vs Pickens' Problem, 8/21, A Siegel

Picking at Pickens' Plan, 7/8, A Siegel

The Big Green Tent, 8/24, A Siegel

T. Boone Pickens Loves You and Wants to Use Your Credit Card, 8/30, JohnnyRook

T Boone Pickens trying to pick Californians Pockets, 9/9, JohnnyRook

T Boone Pickens Fancy Sales Pitch, 8/27, Plutonium Page

Is T Boone Pickens selling you shinola, or something else?, 8/26, ApolloGonzales

Sarah Palin and Boone Pickens: Birds of a Feather, 10/7, Josh Nelson

Memo to T Boone Pickens: Your energy plan is half-baked, 7/8, Joe Romm, Climate Progress (former Assistant Secretary Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, DOE)

Pickens learns the hard truth: drill-only GOP hates alternative energy, 9/23, Joe Romm

Why T Boone Pickens' 'Clean Energy' Plan is a Ponzi Scheme, 8/21, Scott Thill

Pickens' Natural Gas Plan Makes No Sense and will never happen, 9/26, Earl Killian

Mr Pickens Half-Right Plan, 7/25, Bill Becker, Presidential Climate Action Plan

Comments

[escobar]

Pickens is talking the Democratic line now. Alternatives to oil.
Sure, he is a creep but he is a so wealthy he can influence the direction of things.
He likely wants state to finance another plan for him to make money. Tax money to provide infrastructure and low cost funding for a start.
Of course the greater good will always be secondary to his desire for more money, it is the nature of this sort of man.
Certainly the other oil men have been influencing policy, only in the wrong direction.
Smarter to invite him to fundraisers for his gas lines and windmill project than have him talking with the GOP about invading another country.

[texrednface]

When T.Boone Pickens raided Gulf Oil years back, many pensioners were forced to tender their stock. My grandfather worked, for over 30 years as a truck driver and pump jack operator for Gulf . He bought and earned stock as part of his compensation. His widow was deeply affected by the T.Boone's maneuvers. While he said what he was doing was in the best interests of the stock holders my grandmother, a stock and pension holder was devastated­.She relied on the meager dividends and the pension my grandfather earned to live.
I have been puzzled why T. Boone is so "respected". He isn't interested in saving the planet. This is not his goal.

[Matt Barnette]

Personally, I never trust anyone who's name sounds like a side character in a Mark Twain short story.

My thinking here is that the Dems are still so love-starved from years on the environmental backburner during the Bush era that if anyone shows up with the potential to throw hypothetical money at a cause they're emotionally invested in that they'll take what they can get and deal with the fallout later.

[FaceReality2]

There is enough natural gas to replace coal in electricity generation and to fuel 18 wheelers and buses.

Pickens sees natural gas as a bridge fuel until technology advances in renewables can replace it.

Makes sense to me. We need to get rid of coal fired plants and diesel tractor trailer trucks, don't we?

[Aaror]

HuffPost's Pick

The problem is that picken's plan moves natural gas into replacing oil, instead of coal.
There is a limited amount of change we can push for, and coal is the cheapest option in the short run (and most expensive in the long run), so a lot of people protect it. Coal is also the biggest problem for us, whether in terms of climate change or enviornmental devistation.
If you don't believe me, visit western China sometime-bring a face mask for the coal dust in the air though.

[FaceReality2]

I haven't heard Pickens say he is opposed to converting coal fired plants to natural gas--which is relatively cheap and easy to do. We have something like 100 years worth of natural gas reserves so if he hasn't said it, I will.

Convert coal fired plants to natural gas now until they can be replaced with wind and solar energy.

[A. Siegel - Huffpost Blogger]

As per some of the discussion in the links, T Boone's plan fails on many levels.

To use NG to replace oil requires some reasonably significant infrastructure investments (additional cost in vehicles, fueling statinos, etc ...). When one looks at the Federal investment T Boone wants into those additional costs, the $10s of billions could be better spent on more effective and more efficient ways to reduce our oil demands.

In addition, the "bridge" concept moves us from one fossil fuel dependency to another.

In addition, the "bridge" puts fueling that 18-wheeler in direct competition with people heating their homes.

In addition, the "clean natural gas" line ignores the very serious polluting implications of 'fracking' http://www.newsweek.com/id/1543944 for example).

[FaceReality2]

He has said on numerous occasions it is not feasible to replace the use of oil (i.e. gasoline) in cars with natural gas, and he favors alternatives like electric cars for personal transportation. The problem is battery power will not move an 18 wheel truck, and there is no alternative to diesel right now for big trucks except NG. Consequently, we are not talking about converting every gas station, just the truck stops. Do you like big diesel trucks? If not, what's your alternative to replace them?

"the $10s of billions could be better spent " Really? How?

Competition with home heating? Diesel already competes with home heating oil at the refinery.

Fracking carries some risk of pollution. So does drilling any oil or gas well anywhere.

[DougDeWitt]

We are introducing technology that will use wind power without the need for fossil fuels like natural gas, co-generating instead with clean-burning hydrogen-oxygen combustion, and high-tech steam turbine technology. Follow my profile for more on that.

So Yes! there are more, there are others. There are technological breakthroughs imminent on multiple fronts. The geeks shall rise to the occasion, and rebuild the energy grid with digital, Smart Grid technology. We can end the generation of greenhouse gases in generating electricity, and supply Texas with pure renewable base-load to compete in the deregulated markets.

We applaud T Boone, wildcatter and native son.

[wizedollars]

Pickens real endgame is the control of Texas'
Ogalla Aquifer, which would monopolize that state's water supply.

http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/02/01/water_texas/

[n5ifi]

I don't trust Boone.....­........So for you guys he is probably ok.

[sheila]

How is enslaving us to Pickens preferable to enslaving us to Chevron? In fact, Chevron, BP and Goldman Sachs are the leading monopolists pushing through Big Solar projects in our Western Wilderness, so we will still be completely hijacked by the same mercenaries we always have been, unless we demand POINT OF USE SOLUTIONS THAT WE OWN OURSELVES.

Insist on loans and feed in tariffs for small production of solar and wind right where the power is needed - in the built environment. We The People get paid for saving energy and putting power into the grid. it's the ONLY "independence" that is available - don't fall for Pickens, Sierra Club, Reid, Salazar, Chevron, or any of these other greenwashers' "energy plans." They are total boondoggles and will cost our environment and economy and democracy dearly.

[pdxsean]

Excellent. It's too bad those that actually make the decisions are so won over by Pickens and don't really look at the flaws in his "plan". Or, worse, they do understand the flaws in the plan, but understand that the resistance to the plan can't defeat the PR machine promoting it.

Knowing Pickens' background, I often wonder if this is a red herring designed to stop us from actually doing anything positive for the environment while increasing Pickens' already fat purse.