The T. Boone Pickens Plan

Parent Cafe
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<p>The Pickens Plan is a bridge to the future — a blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestic energy alternatives, and buy us time to develop even greater new technologies.</p>

<p>Building new wind generation facilities and better utilizing our natural gas resources can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports in 10 years.</p>

<li>The United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind power.</li>
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<p>Studies from around the world show that the Great Plains States are home to the greatest wind energy potential in the world — by far. </p>

<p>The Department of Energy reports that 20% of America’s electricity can come from wind. North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.</p>

<p>Building wind facilities in the corridor that stretches from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States at a cost of $1 trillion. It would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns.</p>

<p>That’s a lot of money, but it’s a one-time cost. And compared to the $700 billion we spend on foreign oil every year, it’s a bargain.</p>

<li>Natural gas is a cheaper and cleaner new replacement for foreign oil.</li>
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<p>Domestic
Natural gas is our country’s second largest energy resource and a vital component of our energy supply. 98% of the natural gas used in the United States is from North America. But 70% of our oil is purchased from foreign nations.</p>

<p>Natural gas is one of the cleanest, safest and most useful forms of energy — residentially, commercially and industrially. The natural gas industry has existed in the United States for over 100 years and continues to grow.</p>

<p>[PickensPlan:</a> The Plan](<a href=“http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/]PickensPlan:”>http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/)</p>

<p>Congress seems certain to leave town for its summer vacation next week without taking steps to deal with the nation’s energy crisis. As the nation’s consumers and businesses suffer from sky-high petroleum prices, both parties blame the other for playing political games — a refrain that is becoming increasingly frustrating to a public that gives Congress an approval rating of just 11 percent. But lawmakers from both parties say there is no chance that any fix — short-term or long-term — will reach the president’s desk until the week after Labor Day.</p>

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<p>I haven’t read specifics, but I saw him interviewed on a news show and everything I heard made perfect sense. I think many ranchers are NIMBY in this regard, but we have to do something. No one wants to drill in various areas, be it Alaska or off the Florida coast, people don’t want to go nuclear. Well, then what?</p>

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<p>Youdon’tsay I think like it or not, the answer is all of the above.</p>

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<p>The Pickens Plan is not bad, but it’s not perfect. First we need cars that will run on natural gas. Pickens has a vested interest in getting the US hooked on natural gas.</p>

<p>Second, windmills need to be redesigned so they don’t kill tons of birds. Windmills also dry out the land making it unusable over time.</p>

<p>Windmills are very expensive thanks to GE. Pickens is wanting a subsidy to finance his windmill farms. I think he should invest his own money.</p>

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<p>“First we need cars that will run on natural gas.”</p>

<p>Both GM and Honda make cars that run on natural gas.</p>

<p>“Second, windmills need to be redesigned so they don’t kill tons of birds.”</p>

<p>Google Thermal Animal Detection System (TADS).</p>

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<p>T. Boone Pickens is nothing but a ruthless profiteer.</p>

<p>We’ll leave the asinine natural gas plan on the side for now. </p>

<p>Is there anything good to say about his “plan?” Hardly? The only accurate parts of his “genial” plan are simply borrowed from 15 years old material produced by the American Wind Energy Association and the wasteful and clueless DOE research arm named NREL. It is true that America has a great potential wind energy resource, but the wind rarely blows where people enjoy living. The cost to build the infrastructure (read transmission lines and grid) is not budgeted and won’t be for a long time. And for good reasons!</p>

<p>Pickens has made a huge bet with his investments in wind energy and water rights and he NEEDS to cash in. His claim that he does it for America is as believable as Al Gore’s similar lies. Pickens needs the government to build and develop the grid to transport the electricity he MIGHT produce in Texas or neighboring states. He also needs to resolve the issue of purchasing the right-of-ways for both his water and wind energy empire. Otherwise his plan to help depleting the Olagalla aquifer though sales of water to Dallas might remain a pipe dream.</p>

<p>Pickens is not a patriot. Pickens is not a friend of wind energy; he only likes the fact that he can make a lot of money by placing huge bets at a time our nation is extremely worried about its energy future. </p>

<p>While he has already bribed soulless people like Reid, Pelosi, Gore, and the head of the Sierra Club, he needs a lot more than those. Getting his way with the Texas Legislature was relatively easy; the next step is the entire country. Hence, his public plight. One should note the irony of the Democratic Party inviting this scam artist to their convention. The same person who bankrolled most of the Swiftboat ads. Ah, the power of the greenback to eliminate old wounds! </p>

<p>The Pickens Plan is a horrible plan and one of the biggest scams ever proposed in the United States.</p>

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Nonsense. You know nothing about Boone Pickens. This man is a billionaire. He does not need to work and does not need any more money for himself or his family. He is 80 years old and has many achievements and accomplishments. The Picken’s plan is what he intends as his legacy. He is willing to put his money where his mouth is and has invested his own funds, time and energy in trying to help American stop its wealth transfer to other nations. He is a patriot.</p>

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<p>I’ve done a good amount of work on wind energy. I think it’s a good potential technology, but I’m not completely sold. I certainly don’t think we should begin our foray into wind energy with very large scale projects, which are quite risky, financially and otherwise, considering how new wind energy is, particularly in America. I also think that we should begin exploring wind energy on land where it’s cheaper and where we can more easily track bird/bat killings and perform any necessary repairs. Similar technologies should also be explored, such as energy from ocean waves, which are consistent and dependable in a way that wind is not. I also think that we should see about man-making these natural forms of energy, but that would be further in the future.</p>

<p>I don’t know much about natural gas.</p>

<p>Edit: Just wanted to clarify that when I saw we shouldn’t begin with “very large scale” projects, I didn’t mean we should just do these 10-turbine testing sites. I more meant we shouldn’t plan on, and then depend on, building wind parks large enough to support a large portion of our country’s energy use. It’s difficult to proceed with caution when faced with the very serious and immediate threats of global warming, but I think caution is warranted. We don’t want to throw so many of our eggs in one basket.</p>

<p>I also want to add that I think wind farms should be dealt with on the local level whenever plausible, especially now at an early stage in wind power development. We want communities to embrace and profit off of wind energy, not suffer for it.</p>

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<p>I’ll take the middle ground between selfless patriot and ruthless profiteer. What’s wrong with making some money while coming up with alternative energy sources?</p>

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<p>c’mon razor do you really believe Pickens is a patriot? He is a snake oil salesman.</p>

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<p>At least he has a plan and a position which is more than can be said for any of our leaders for the last 40 years.</p>

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<p>Razorsharp, speak for yourself! </p>

<p>What do YOU know about his investments in wind and water rights?<br>
What do YOU know about wind energy? Would your opinion be different is this plan was peddled by a staunch environmentalist?</p>

<p>Scratch the surface and drop the jug of firewater!</p>

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<p>Say what you want about Carter, but he had a plan(a better one) once upon a time.
I just find the whole “Pickens Plan” and TV ad bombardment a little off putting.</p>

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<p>I just did. </p>

<p>What do you know about Picken’s patriotism or what he believes? I will tell you. You know nothing because you don’t know Pickens yet you presume to understand his motives and objectives simply because he is willing to put his money where his mouth is.</p>

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<p>Corranged, where have you gathered your information about wind energy to declare it a “good” potential technology? </p>

<p>I’d be happy to point you in the right direction.</p>

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<p>No. </p>

<p>And what I do know is not to stick my head in the sand and pretend we don’t have an energy problem. I don’t think you can say the same.</p>

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<p>PM’d you, Xiggi.</p>

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<p>I do not need to KNOW what he believes to understand the basis of the Pickens Plan. It is crystal clear to anyone who has a modicum of understanding of the natural gas and wind energy. </p>

<p>It plan is as patriotic as his purchase and sale of Yahoo stock. Pickens is and will always be a corporate raider and a profiteer.</p>

<p>PS Razorsharp, should we compare our past posts on energy? When did I bury my hand in the sand and pretended we do not have an energy problem. Buy yourself a clue!</p>

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<p>Your past posts show you just want to pretend there is no problem. Your view is incorrect and not in our national interests.</p>

<p>Your belief that you can look at someone’s plan and assume his true hidden agenda means you must be a mind reader.</p>

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<p>I know one thing everyone in Texas will be paying $4 extra per month for a while just to set up the transmission lines.</p>

<p>And yes lots and lots of birds will die after the windmills are set up. I like windmills. I have even looked at putting some on my land in west Texas, but they cost more than solar in many ways.</p>