Energy Self-Reliance and Our Future

Last summer, when I launched my plan to get America to end its addiction to foreign oil, I began travelling cross country, sharing my thoughts and ideas about what a senseless waste it was for Americans to be spending billions of dollars each month buying oil from countries like Iran and Venezuela.

Padding the bank accounts of state-owned oil companies whose leaders badmouth the United States may not bother you, but it doesn't sit well with me. That's not the way we were brought up in Holdenville, Oklahoma. And while I'm at it, I'm going to share another lesson I learned in small town America, one that Nellie Molonson taught me during the Great Depression:

"Everybody has to learn to sit on their own bottom."

What my grandmother was trying to tell me is that self-reliance is a sign of maturity. It's a lesson she hammered into my head, and I think about it as I ponder the hole we've dug for ourselves.

America allowed itself to be lulled into a false sense of security by cheap oil, and now we're paying the price. If you don't believe me, then go to the Pickens Plan website and see for yourself. We make a point of singling out the hard truth. Take this fact:

With the money projected to be spent on foreign oil in 2009, we could build 32,407 new elementary schools.

Do you like the sounds of that? I don't. All those billions should stay right here. The time has come for America to become more self-reliant. Listen to this:

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility: a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.

Sound familiar? That's President Obama, in his Inaugural Address, reminding each and every one of us that the challenges that lie before us - invigorating our economy, creating millions of new jobs, and investing in America - are not easy ones. But the rewards will be many.

I've spoken to senators, congressmen, college kids, governors, mayors, and thousands of folks just like the ones I grew up with in Holdenville, and I'm absolutely 100 percent confident that we can end our addiction foreign oil. The way to do it is by relying on American ingenuity.

Take the example of Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio, who was interviewed for my Pickens Plan website earlier this week. How has his state responded to skyrocketing energy costs?

By looking closely at every possible domestic energy. Gov. Strickland is the kind of leader who sizes up our present predicament and smells opportunity. Ohio generates 95 percent of its electricity from coal, so what does he do? He gets behind clean coal technology. He gets in the hunt to have a nuclear power plant built in his state. He flies to Spain to meet with a company that wants to develop a wind farm on Lake Erie. And he signs into law a bill that requires a substantial increase in the number of megawatts that power plants have to produce using alternative energies. Why?

Because he knows he's creating opportunities for hundreds of new companies. Thousands of new jobs. Billions in much needed investment. Just listen to him describe what's taken place in Toledo. Over the last decade, the city has become an international center for solar power research.

Why can't we do that across this great land of ours?

You want my opinion on a stimulus plan? Follow Ohio's example and invest in American energy. All of it.

Comments

[Mark Hedtke]

Also were you aware that there is a group, called Repower America with over 2 million
members. Their voice is to the call to Repower America with 100% clean electricity
within 10 years! They are working to solve the climate crisis. It's site is at:
http://www.repoweramerica.org to learn more.
Sounds like the story about the hole in the roof
and no one wants to fix it until it's raining. Once the rain stops there is no reason to fix it.
Together, we can make a change in how America uses it's renewable energy and
you can begin to understand that we have ther resources for energy independence
with or without the oil companies, the automobile industry or the utilities. Their only
interest is in keeping the monopoly going and money in their pockets. They are
threatened by this independent enrgy movement and either they help us get there
or they need to get out of American citizens way.
Thank you,
Mark Hedtke

[Mark Hedtke]

As an aside, is there any interest in focusing upon alternative energy as an Earth Day
event nationally? I have been attempting to get a renewed interest in alternative
energy back in front of the news. My own idea was to have the major Green Groups
throughout America to help sponsor an event with the support of groups like the Pickens
Plan participating. The Boone Pickens group is set up by Congressional Districts
throughout the country, it has over 1.4 million members. It's site is at: http://push.pickensplan.com/profile/MarkHedtke so you can see what people are doing.
I have been trying to get local interest in an combined District's event for central Florida
and the public seems to once again be fickle and it seems like everyone is once again
in a hypnotic delusional state that the fuel prices are once again more reasonable so
there is no reason to be up to arms. Just like the American consumer's limited vision.
Perhaps the steam and interest has waned a bit as fuel costs have declined, yet they
are on the way back up again, all the more reason for people to understand the cyclical
method in continuing to raise fuel prices and one of the reasons to keep pushing for
energy independence and stay active.
Look for my additional comments in part 4 below.
Thank you,
Mark Hedtke

[Mark Hedtke]

Oil companies, automobile companies, and the utilities have had the opportunity
to do the research, invest in and acquire the technologies of alternative energy.
Many of them have had solutions to the present economic "oil crisis" sitting on back
shelves since the 70's. Once again, if you have followed the big press releases of
companies over the years and seen the new discoveries and methods of these
technologies on display, you also will far more often, as an inquiring stock holder
get a letter from your enquiry that the new fangled discovery just isn't economically
feasible at this time. I am personally aware of at least a half dozen such devices
that were shelved by both oil companies and the auti industry, in my opinion only
because they still haven't figured out how to continue to profit from it themselves.
Lokk for part 3 below
Thank you
Mark Hedtke

[Mark Hedtke]

When it comes to activity of the public, my own experience over these past 50 years
has consistently shown that the American consumer doesn't have the staying power
to put it's pocketbook where it's mouth is, as far as the price of fuel at the pump.
Looking at fue price history, the 60's had gas prices in the range of as low as 17cents
to as high as 26cents a gallon. This past year many places had over $4.00 a gallon.

To consider that with the abundance of oil that has been available during this period,
one would think that "they" have been gouging us for years is not a unreasonable
assumption. Yet is there some kind of colusion or conspiracy involved here?
Probably nothing that we will ever be able to conclusively prove, yet the energy
companies, as they would like us to think of them now (considering the negative
association oil has in the public's perception right now) have had the ability for years
to make the changes that the public once again is seeking someone to take a
leadership role in. This is part of the appeal of the Pickens Plan.

Look for Parts 2 and 3 of my comments below
Thank you
Mark Hedtke

[MagisterLudi]

In Israel all new residential buildings are required to install solar water-heating systems.
90 percent of Israeli homes have a solar water heater.

Why can't "sunny' states in USA have this type of heating on he roofs?
http://www.elrst.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/solar_israel.jpg

[schoolmaster]

It is important to get unvarnished opinion about solar power and other alternative sources of energy from the oil executives, and whether they will directly participate in their research and development.

[research]

Why?

oil executives are infinitely biased against green energy.

[amadorjon]

thank you for your sentiments I stood with you on the ballot measures in California,

and having lived in Eastern Montana, have seen how revolutionary wind power can (and helpful to the rural communities economies)

the era of saying one thing and doing the opposite, particularly when it comes to energy and environmental policy no longer suffices.......

thank you for your sensible, realistic work on the issue...........

[Timma]

Compared to Mr. Pickins I'm no expert but I have a quandary - In a golbal oil market "oil independence" is a cannard. Currently all the world's oil is sold on a world wide market. If it is even attainable oil independence is a form of industiral isolationaism. Not a good policy politically or economically.

[research]

So it's good to be dependent on Middle east countries that want to destroy us?

Nonsense.

[youngat80]

Has T. Boone Pickens been considered for a Cabinet post, or consultant for Dept. of Interior?
Perhaps he would consider giving one of his underlings leave of absence to serve in Government.
We need his brand of expertise.

[TxAggie]

Mr. Pickens is a make it happen kind of guy- he would never fit in government.

[wild1a]

The results of a geothermal energy study by MIT can be found at:.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/geothermal.html
Turbo-generators producing electricity from an inexhaustible non-polluting source rather than expensive fresh or fossilized biomass needs immediate large scale development. Hydrogen from electrolysis can provide portable energy for pollution free vehicles. Hot dry rock geothermal energy (Enhanced Geothermal System – EGS) can supply all our energy needs, EGS areas are mapped at:
http://pesn.com/2007/01/22/9500449_MIT_Geothermal_Report/
Oil companies can drill to the hot dry rock. Technology for utilization of superheated steam from geothermal wells is known. Nuclear fission at the earth’s center is as unending a provider of heat energy as is the sun.
Fossil fuels and uranium ores will eventually be exhausted. They should be used to support the transition to EGS. The sooner we develop reliable and safe alternate sources the less painful will be the transition.
Initial progress in EGS is slow but gathering momentum. There are several geothermal projects in Nevada. Several countries are already investing seriously in geothermal. While the US was a pioneer in dry rock geothermal energy development at Los Alamos during the Carter administration funding was stopped by the last administration. Time has been lost in the development of the technologies to profitably exploit the ultimate solution to an inexhaustible energy source.

[research]

Unfortunately, geothermal causes earthquakes.

Nukes = mushrooms clouds.

[research]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=7407138

[research]

Picken's plan is basically sound, if self serving.

1. Massive rooftop solar installations, starting with larger commercial roofs, ala Nanosolar.
in the sunniest areas first, which will free up natural gas used for air conditioning peak load.
2. Offshore and rural wind turbines
3. roof top micro wind.
4. plug in hybrid cars
5. natural gas 1000$ truck conversions.
6. Phase out coal plants first: this alone stops global warming.
7. phase out nukes. More nuclear power = more mushrooms clouds via proliferation: India, Korean...
8. backup the solar and wind with the same natural gas generators we used to use for air conditioning peak load. NG generators are the cheapest to install, and respond quickly to load changes.
9. burn up all the large deposits of natural gas to prevent another methane extinction.
10. phase out natural gas, replacing it with green generated hydrogen.
11. use oil for aircraft fuels, phase into fisher tropes diesel. Possibly hydrogen.
12. make efficiency upgrades constantly.
13. Install distributed natural gas/hydrogen co-generators for 95% efficiency Heat plus Electricity

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/research

[Mike Johnston]

Very good, you do see the potential...

[Paul]

Energy independence isn't going to come as a result of fiddling around with the mix of energy sources.

It will come when we use less.

The way forward is mass transit. Get people out of their cars and into street cars, trains and light rail.

This may happen anyway - Americans can no longer afford to own the kind of car it takes to keep the Big 3 profitable. And Obama is looking to stimulate the economy with infrastructure. 80% of Americans live in or near a city. So the timing and conditions are right.

That is change I can believe in.

[youngat80]

Mass transit is an answer in urban areas. It would not be practical in rural North & South Dakota, Wyoming or Montana.

[Melissa Rossi - Huffpost Blogger]

Mr. T. Boone Pickens:
I commend the general sentiment of this post -- "buy American, energy-wise, too" -- bu no way will we be energy independent soon, since we depend on oil-using cars, and half our oil is imported.

You mix up apples and oranges when you talk about oil -- used for transportation -- and nuclear energy and coal, used for electricity.

To say we are should turn to nuclear to cut oil imports is saying, "I have a hole in my shoe, so I will buy a hat!"

You also mix coal, nuclear and solar together as "clean energies":

Hmm, Mr. Pickens....I think you know enough to know better. Are you trying to confuse the American public again? We're oh so sick of it.

I agree with posts below that energy conservation is an energy resource, and that there are viable, non-polluting forms of energy to power our electrical plants. As for cars, a totally different matter, there are already hybrid and other cleaner fuels for our wheels, Detroit and the oil companies have blocked these from easily entering our "free market."

-- Melissa Rossi, author, What Every American Should Know about Who's Really Running the World and What Every American Should Know about Who's Really Running America.

[benwha]

"To say we are should turn to nuclear to cut oil imports is saying, "I have a hole in my shoe, so I will buy a hat!" "

See I always thought that you could make the argument that to go nuclear you free up natural gas that could then be used in place of gasoline. I realize that this would take awhile but it sounds good to me.

[Mike Johnston]

The Toyota Prius has not been blocked from the free market and has done very, very well in it. The main block to innovation is the American consumer. If the auto companies would make hybrid mustangs, Navigators, F-150's, etc the public would buy them but asking most people to accept a new technology in a new package just doesn't work very well.

[hmargret]

T Boone is behind the times.
Wireless electricity, freely generated and flowing, is already here: Marin Soljcic of MIT is already in a company bringing true wireless to market. it will resolve most energy demand in our lives. Fulton Innovation in Michigan is working on it.

No more dirty coal and gas, thanks. Wake up, Pickens, and read the news on msn.com, tech section.

[Mike Johnston]

Tesla was working on the same thing a hundred years ago. I like to compare the evolution of the energy business to the breakup of Ma Bell. That breakup gave us both lower prices and new forms of service delivery such as cell phones and now web based phones. There is no reason that a similar opening of the energy market could not have the same result.

[SomaMinneapolis]

Soljcic's work is for charging cell phones and the like. It is not going to be a practical part of a smart grid for distributing large amounts of electricity between wind farms, solar, hydro, storage and convential power plants and consumers. . .at least not for a long time.

[Penelope Lim]

The best way to reduce energy dependence is to reduce CONSUMPTION. That should be the no 1 priority and is something that every single American can do.

I'd love see, as part of the stimulus package, a program for the government to fund improvements to private homes - insulation, double glazing etc - to make them more energy efficient. This would create immediate jobs in the housing industry. It's also something that jobless auto workers could be easily and quickly retrained to do. And it would reduce the energy consumption and bills of every single American family.

[Mike Johnston]

I think that will be part of the stimulus package...