Optimistic: T. Boone Pickens Expects Obama Administration to Implement Pickens’ Plan
Billionaire American entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens is optimistic that the Obama administration will bring the United States’ energy infrastructure into the new millennium by implementing his plan for energy independence.
After eight long years there is finally a cause for hope here in the United States. George Bush may still be in office, but right now all America’s problems are President-Elect Obama’s to solve (see Obama Recession, thanks Rush), but he seems ready for them.
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As New York Times columnist and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman says, it is time for Obama to act swiftly and implement New Deal policies for the new millennium. Many have said that FDR’s borderline socialist policies failed because he spent too much money, Krugman feels that he did not invest enough. The Pickens’ Plan, as it is so poetically called, may be the starting point for such an investment.
Why is Pickens’ Plan important? Simply because it’s main goal is to divert all of our oil and natural gas to the transportation sector. Factories will no longer use natural gas because they will be powered either on site or through an electric grid powered by wind and solar. The plan stresses efficiency and centrality. It could also potentially save the US $300 billion in oil expenditures. Citing Obama’s plan to end dependency on foreign oil in the next ten years, Pickens expects that the first step will be implementing major parts of his plan.
The major parts of the plan involve the US specially equipping larger vehicles (buses, trucks, etc.) to run on natural gas. This would take a huge load off of our dependence on oil, in turn causing prices to drop because factories and businesses will have no need for it. Demand for oil would come solely from consumers, as would carbon dioxide emissions (the nitrogen oxide emissions will come from the natural gas burning buses).
Pickens has been criticized for the plan, but has responded “If you don’t like my plan, get a plan.” Of course he is a businessman trying to make money, but he does drive a hard bargain. During a recession time like this, a wind initiative would be a huge help to the country. It would create jobs as well as help stabilize our energy future. Pickens has also promised to invest $1 trillion in the project, which should certainly make it easier for the Obama administration to begin implementing the plan.
The plan can work, but only time will tell if some or all of it gets implementes. Pickens cannot do it alone, he needs the government to help. The Obama Administration seems to be attacking the transition with tenacity, which is a good sign for the plan and our energy future as well. I really hope that Obama’s message of change wasn’t just a campaign slogan. So far he has hit the ground running and I look forward to seeing where his administration will go from here.
Want more to read? Check out these links on economics and US energy policy:
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- And for laughs, Rush Limbaugh again. Thanks to the Baltimore Sun for the article.
Source: Yahoo! News (via Biofuels Digest)
Photo Credits: Thanks to Tom Saint’s Flickr photostream under a Creative Commons License.
Craig
Very informative reply. Thanks!
Here’s what the Pickens Plan says it will cost:
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.
http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
But I’m sure you knew that since you’ve been following Pickens for a long time.
Guess who owns the natural gas company? Pickens! Honestly I would rather wait for a sound plan than just go blindly with the first plan that sounds like it’s “green”. Come on people you have to read the facts. Being a California man I did that during the proposition for Pickens’ plan and did some research. Please do all the research before making comments on such a thing. In a rush to get obtain our own energy supplies lets not rush into something blindly and fall fat on our face and end up in an even larger whole (I.E. bank bail outs! . . execs still having retreats and getting bonuses! there has to be regulations). I hope Obama considers all options and if he thinks this is a great plan then that is what will be, but some how I highly doubt that since he does his research as well.
Obama rocks. Should be interesting.
james
http://www.privacy.cz.tc
Keep it up Anthony, your writings are so cute!
Hey guys,
Thanks everyone for the input. I’m glad we all feel that any step away from this administrations energy plan is a good one (that’s what 8 years under this administration will do to you, any hope is better than having none at all).
I don’t necessarily think that Pickens’ plan is the greatest, but he is putting his money where is mouth is and that counts. Someone needs to start pushing us in the right direction RIGHT NOW. My lab mentor’s dad works as a government advisor on oil supply and things are getting worse on a daily basis. If we don’t start doing something, we won’t have any gasoline to buy by the year 2050. I know that seems like it’s a long ways away, but if we don’t do something now we could be in serious trouble.
I am of the understanding that Bill does not like the plan at all, I can tell because of his sarcastic tone (detecting sarcasm on the internet is a gift I have). I do think you have a point Bill, putting all our eggs in one basket could ruin us in the future. But again, we can’t just keep deliberating over the best way to achieve a sustainable energy future. Perhaps the plan works, perhaps it doesn’t, and we won’t know until we try. Plus the economic stimulus couldn’t hurt.
Thanks for reading and discussing!
~anthony
Anthony,
You and (james.rainey@latimes.com) both need to drop the unnecessary political rants against politicians whose policies you do not like. You are aware that we did move 550 metric tons of yellow-cake nuclear fuel from 12 miles outside of Baghdad to Canada last summer, aren’t you?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25546334
Bush was correct. Saddam Hussein did have nuclear fuel and other weapons of mass destruction under construction.
No on to what GAS 2.0 should be about rather than political rants.
Pickens has a good idea, and he is positioned to make a bundle of money from it. That is NOT a reason to NOT do it. But, we should also pass a law prohibiting business taxes on any profits from any investment in biofuel, and at the same time prohibit government subsidies for the development of any particular biofuel. This must be for not less than 5 years after first profitability for both the tax elimination and the prohibition on subsidies. The eliminated taxes will act as a subsidy and the lack of government choice in the actual end product will allow a true business decision to be made with profitability as a reason to invest.
What about alcohol? Its totally renewable, can be produced at home or locally, it runs 97% cleaner than fossil, and is compatible with current internal combustion engines with some timing modifications.
There where model A’s that ran on alcohol up until prohibition. It was the first fuel used for an internal combustion engine.
“Pickens has also promised to invest $1 trillion in the project”
lol
It’s been said often, and in many circles, that we need to pursue a strategy that involves multiple solutions. Natural gas is one option for powering commercial trucks, but so is biodiesel, and many of the nation’s trucking fleets are moving in that direction.
Apply wind in those areas best suited, same for solar, tides, geothermal. It’s true that the grid, for both transmission and storage, is in need of a major overhaul, but this can also be done in a fashion that is tuned to the specifics needs of a particular region.
Oh great Obama please come and save us. We are your willing drones and now only your greatness can show us the way. I love how everyone assumes this guy is going to be any different than every other liar we elect. If anyone watched the 60 minutes interview should be proud to know that one of his most important issues is a college football playoff. Nice to see his priorities are in order. As for the Pickens’ plan, it has it good points, but as with all of the new freedom from petroleum plans it is vague and full of ifs. As to the people arguing over the 1 trillion dollars, please, anyone see a time frame mentioned. It is good to see a business man trying to use what is right to make money, but it will take more like minded capitalists to truly make this a reality. Socialism = Failure.