i have a couple questions about the 'pickens' plan...

he wants to convert to wind energy for electricity production, and use natural gas to power autos, as we transition to all-electric vehicles...

first off- how is that going to affect the price of natural gas for those of us who use it to cook and heat our homes and water with? we're being told already to expect a 25% increase in heating costs over last year...if the u.s. auto fleet switches to nat gas, it's going to send the demand for the finite supply through the roof.

and about those cars- how long does he expect that type of changeover to take? A LOT of us can't afford new cars- i've never owned one in my life...there are a lot of fairly old cars still on the road, and it's going to take awhile to transition all of them as well as all the newer gas/diesel cars & trucks to the scrap heap- probably a couple of decades. and then there's the process of retrofitting gas stations...and he sees it all as a transitional step to all-electric vehicles, for which he claims the technology 'isn't there yet'.

but- there already are all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids available, and with more 'in the pipeline'...wouldn't it make much more sense to direct all the effort/money that would go into converting over to natural gas for cars, and invest it directly into developing more and better electric vehicles?

as for the part of the plan that deals with using wind power for electricity- i'm all for it.

the same goes for mccain's proposal for lots and lots of nuke plants- use that time/money/effort to better develop renewable alternatives- wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, hydro-electric, etc.- each type where it makes most sense and is the most feasible.

You hit the nail on the head when you said we already have the technology to go directly to electric cars. He owns natural gas and that's the only reason he wants to go to natural gas, it enriches him.

I am sure he's all ready invested billions in that.

He's not particularly interest in long-term R&D, never was. However, at least he's advocating against spending the nation's treasure on others' resources.

:shrug:

Bottom line: he's in it to both profit AND keep profits here in his country. He may be a greedy SOB but, at least, he's a nationalist greedy asshole.

He's not planning to spend any of "his" money on the reasearch and construction.

How much longer will he live and get to enjoy spending the gov't subsidies you claim he is after? I'm not too keen on his idea of using natural gas to power cars, but harnessing wind, solar, geothermal, and other clean, renewable energy sources is certainly something we should all support. The fact of the matter is, some people are going to profit as we move away from fossil fuels and towards clean and renewable energy sources. I have no issue with the government paying to extend electricity transmission lines to Pickens' wind and solar farms in west Texas. I'd even be in favor of a tax credit to promote more development of wind and solar. I'm not going to automatically pooh-pooh all aspects of the plan just because I don't like Pickens.

I'll at least give Pickens credit for bringing this important discussion to the forefront of the national consciousness and keeping it there with his own money. At least he won't stop talking about it after the election is over.

if these guys weren't concerned about how much money they leave behind- they wouldn't be so adamantly against the estate tax.(although, to be honest- i don't know t.boone's stance on the tax).

and i'm not pooh-poohing all aspects of it either. using wind power is something we should be doing decades ago.

it seems as though he wants the nation's treasure spent on HIS resources.

and what would happen to that price if tens of millions of cars and trucks are burning it too...?

:shrug:

nat gas filling station company. ANd is invested in Nat gas. Pickens should have gotten on board 30 yrs ago, he didnt. Jimmy Carter was right, Pickens wrong.

Then there is the water rights angle

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395304,00.html

thanks for the link-
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395304,00.html

"Purchasing rights-of-way is often expensive and time-consuming -- and what if landowners won’t sell? While private entities may be frustrated, governments can exercise eminent domain to compel sales. This is Pickens’ route of choice. But wait, you say, Pickens is not a government entity. How can he use eminent domain? Are you sitting down?

At Pickens’ behest, the Texas legislature changed state law to allow the two residents of an 8-acre parcel of land in Roberts County to vote to create a municipal water district, a government agency with eminent domain powers. Who were the voters? They were Pickens’ wife and the manager of Pickens’ nearby ranch. And who sits on the board of directors of this water district? They are the parcel’s three other non-resident landowners, all Pickens’ employees.

A member of a local water conservation board told Bloomberg News that, “ obtained the right of eminent domain like he was a big city. It’s supposed to be for the public good, not a private company.”

What’s this got to do with Pickens’ wind-power plan? Just as he needs pipelines to sell his water, he also needs transmission lines to sell his wind-generated power. Rights of way for transmission lines are also acquired through eminent domain -- and, once again, the Texas legislature has come to Pickens’ aid.

Earlier this year, Texas changed its law to allow renewable energy projects (like Pickens’ wind farm) to obtain rights-of-way by piggybacking on a water district’s eminent domain power. So Pickens can now use his water district’s authority to also condemn land for his future wind farm’s transmission lines.

Who will pay for the rights-of-way and the transmission lines and pipelines? Thanks to another gift from Texas politicians, Pickens’ water district can sell tax-free, taxpayer-guaranteed municipal bonds to finance the $2.2 billion cost of the water pipeline. And then earlier this month, the Texas legislature voted to spend $4.93 billion for wind farm transmission lines. While Pickens has denied that this money is earmarked for him, he nevertheless is building the largest wind farm in the world..."

Pickens big (profit) plan: http://www.localenergynews.org/news/2008/7/31/t-boone-pickens-wants-wind-to-pump-water.html and http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4275059.html and http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&refer=home&sid=aUMHM8z9IMd4

pipe water through the same corridors. Pickens/Mesa owns water rights tapping the Oglala reservoir from Oklahoma to the Mexican border. People in West Texas have been running vehicles, equipment, their homes on natural gas for decades in rural areas. This is not new technology, it's backwards technology. The compressing of the gas and the idea of driving around with a bomb in the trunk have made it impractical for most. Do you have a gas grill? Well that's as cutting edge as it gets.

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/071008/loc_302185743.shtml

When you think T. Boone, think Mr. Haney.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Haney

before his ads came out.

He's just trying to make a buck or millions.

Joe Romm has written quite a bit about Pickens:
- New Pickens ad: “I say drill, drill, drill”
- Pickens in a pickle: He embraces progressive policies but not progressive politicians.
You can search his blog for more: http://climateprogress.org/?s=pickens
He also has an FAQ about plug-in hybrids: http://climateprogress.org/2008/07/11/plug-in-hybrid-faq/