Finally!----A Texican with an IQ higher than tomato!

[Gimpy]

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July 22, 2008

Editorial

T. Boone Pickens Rides the Wind

T. Boone Pickens, the legendary wildcatter and corporate raider, has decided that drilling for more oil is not the answer to the nation’s energy problems. President Bush should listen to his fellow Texan and longtime political ally.

The 80-year-old Mr. Pickens does not oppose drilling. He’s been doing it for most of his life. Nor has he become a born-again eco-warrior, he is a conservative who helped underwrite the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry. (well, I suppose he ain't quite as smart as I thought, but that's another story?-----Gimp) But he knows something that his friends in the White House won’t acknowledge: that a nation holding less than 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves while guzzling 20 percent of the world’s production will never be able to drill its way out of its dependency on foreign oil.

He also considers it absolute madness — financially and in terms of national security — to be spending $700 billion every year on imported oil produced in volatile and in some cases hostile countries.

His answer is to develop wind power in states with steady, forceful winds (like Texas) and use it instead of natural gas to produce electricity (natural gas now generates about one-fifth of the power in the United States). He would then use the natural gas saved to fuel cars and trucks. He predicts that oil imports would drop by 40 percent and the country would save $300 billion a year.

There are, he concedes, obstacles. The country would need to rebuild the power grid to transmit wind energy from the Great Plains to consumers in the big population centers. It would need lots of service stations capable of selling natural gas. And automakers would need to produce cars that run on natural gas. There are about 8 million such vehicles in the world, but only 142,000 in the United States.

Mr. Pickens is putting his money where his ideas are, and in Texas he has begun assembling the pieces of a huge wind farm. He estimates the cost at $6 billion to $10 billion (his Mesa Power is the lead investor but his personal stake is unknown). He confidently forecasts that this wind farm and others like it will not only reduce the demand for oil but create thousands of construction and operating jobs.

Mr. Pickens concedes that people may suspect that his sudden enthusiasm for alternative energy is just another way “to make Boone Pickens rich.” But with at least $3 billion in the bank, he really doesn’t need the money anywhere near as much as the country needs alternative energy and new ideas.


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Now, if he can just convince some OTHER hardheaded "Texicans" that his "plan" is better than "drilling"???


Don't count on it!


Gimp

[colmurph]

He's got some good ideas but the Democats will block any moves for wind power with "Environmental Impact" studies. Someone up here in New Jersey wanted to construct a wind farm off the Jersey coast and the liberals blocked it because it "Might kill migratory birds that flew into the blades" Gov. Corzine (a Democrat) continues to block offshore drilling (into a known natural gas deposit which was explored over 30 years ago) and will most probably block any attempts to construct any new Reactors in the state (Last one built is over 50 yeras old.) The current Democratic Party solution for energy is to raise the taxes on oil products.

[SuperScout]

Wind power, and the corresponding transfer of formerly used LPG from the utilities to be used for motor fuel is a good start, but it is only a part of the matrix of energy sources in which this country will achieve anything like energy independence. Case in point: Da Dims think that you can power your truck across the Rockies from California to Colorado with wind; even their great amount of hot air can't accomplish that!

But notice that T. Boone didn't say we should drill any more any where. All the while he's building his wind farms, his other companies are still punching holes in the ground, looking for Texas Tea, and more power to him on both fronts.

The botton lineis that we can't legislate our way out of the energy situation, we can't jaw-bone our way out, and we can't tax our way out. The only way out is a comprehensive plan that embraces traditional methods, but with new methodology, new systems, new infrastructure, and new fuel sources.

Belated PS: Last time I checked, we were either called 'Texans,' or 'Texians.' A 'Texican' is probably a cross between a 'Texan' and a 'Mexican.' T. Boone ain't one of them!

[Packo]

need to look at short term, middle term, and long term. I keep hearing, "you can't drill your way out of this". Well, you have to do ALL. Since the last "crisis" in the 70's nobody has done anything for the 3 "terms". No we can't "Drill our way out" but the bozo's in Washington don't understand that we have to do ALL THE THINGS BOTH SIDES ARE SAYING! We have to drill because of world demand and our crappy dollar. We have to start with alternative sources, shale, coal liquification, solar, wind, etc. Both Kerry and Kennedy stopped wind power off Cape Cod awhile back. It's the old, good for y'all, but not in my backyard. People who live on Martha's Vineyard and those types of places can afford oil heat, gasoline, natural gas, electricity, no matter what the price. Thanks to Hollywood and "China Syndrom" kindof propaganda crap, Nuke power is all but gone in this country. We have to start building nuke plants. Heating oil is big in the Northeast....wonder how people are going to afford that this winter. Better hope for global warming. We haven't built a refinery in this country in how many years due to environmentalists? It's time the congress got off their collective asses and started working together, for once, to understand that we have to do all the terms, and yes, a couple of indangered salamanders might die, but this silliness in Washington has to come to an end!
I am so fed up with all the finger pointing with one hand and their thumbs up their butts with the other. Pickens has it right, but he's not saying to not drill, he's saying their has to be the 3 plans TOGETHER!

Pack

[reconeil]

YOU, as most other sensibly caring and not politically duped or beholding and/or somehow: "Connected" Americans SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE:"So fed up with all the political pointing with one hand and their thumbs up their butts with the other". After all, such a blatant disregard for the well being of The American Economy & The American People has been going on pretty-much as you've quite truthfully stated,...for about 30 YEARS!!!

Was first back in The Seventees when Oil Fat Cats, Governments and even most in Press/Media in collusion started stroking people and/or trying to: "Keep the natives from getting restless,...during the; "BIG OIL equals BIG CON" or "BIG OIL Imbroglio, Con or Rip-Off???". Plus, such a despicable disregard for America's People & Economy has steadily gotten worse or BIGGER, over the years.

Regardless, and the greatest financial screwing-over of people that The World has ever witnessed aside, I don't believe that even if solar, wind & nuclear power were to cover America from end to end would ever stop the greedy financial raping over the necessary fuels needed for all transportations, and also for the heating of MANY. There's just too much money at stake, effects too many, and can now high tech even be more easily acquired. Oil is one-helluva: "Golden Goose", to just cavalierly shrug-off. Don't you think?

Still, and just out of curiosity: Does The American Taxpayer get FURTHER RIPED-OFF by paying similarly absurd High Oil Prices for America's VAST Strategic Oil Reserves,...from MY/YOUR/OUR (not actually Government's or Politicians') Natural Resource.
If so?????????,...wouldn't: "We The (Schnooks)" actually be more so DOUBLY SCREWED-OVER, than usual???

Neil