Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:13:29 AM
Featured Sponsor



Add gas prices to your web site.
Click here to find out how!
GasBuddy News Article


Texas oilman T Boone Pickens wants to supplant oil with wind
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
USA Today -- SWEETWATER, Texas — Get ready, America, T. Boone Pickens is coming to your living room.

The legendary Texas oilman, corporate raider, shareholder-rights crusader, philanthropist and deep-pocketed moneyman for conservative politicians and causes, wants to drive the USA's political and economic agenda.

"We're paying $700 billion a year for foreign oil. It's breaking us as a nation, and I want to elevate that question to the presidential debate, to make it the No. 1 issue of the campaign this year," Pickens says.


Visit USA Today for full article

Message Forum - Read Message
Category: Daily News Article Discussions > Topics Add to favorite topics  Post New Topic
Rate this topic:  Low   1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5  High  Avg rating: 1.5  (4 votes)
Author Topic: Texas oilman T Boone Pickens wants to supplant oil with wind Post a ReplyBack to Topics
JT
Moderator

Message Posted: 7/8/2008 11:41:24 AM  Ignore JT Report Abuse
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
USA Today -- SWEETWATER, Texas — Get ready, America, T. Boone Pickens is coming to your living room.

The legendary Texas oilman, corporate raider, shareholder-rights crusader, philanthropist and deep-pocketed moneyman for conservative politicians and causes, wants to drive the USA's political and economic agenda.

"We're paying $700 billion a year for foreign oil. It's breaking us as a nation, and I want to elevate that question to the presidential debate, to make it the No. 1 issue of the campaign this year," Pickens says.

Visit USA Today for full article
REPLIES (newest first)
NinaGA
Sophomore Author
Atlanta

Posts:202
Points:40,035
Joined:Apr 2008
Message Posted: 7/10/2008 1:54:39 AM  Ignore NinaGA Report Abuse
We have to invest in alternatives.
Gee_NY
Sophomore Author
Texas

Posts:137
Points:267,435
Joined:Dec 2007
Message Posted: 7/10/2008 12:57:38 AM  Ignore Gee_NY Report Abuse
Dito "EnderNY" and who cares what his motives are.
EnderNY
Champion Author
Dallas

Posts:1,507
Points:292,055
Joined:Jun 2005
Message Posted: 7/10/2008 12:43:39 AM  Ignore EnderNY Report Abuse
about time
NickHammer
Champion Author
Maryland

Posts:5,568
Points:981,725
Joined:Aug 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 6:47:49 PM  Ignore NickHammer Report Abuse
Nice job, Celtic14, of blaming liberals for fighting a wind farm in Nantucket Sound, then linking to an article saying that the Republican gov. of Massachusetts is against the wind farm (and, BTW, the amendement that gave him veto power to kill the project was inserted by none other than Republican Ted Stevens).

I guess you'd rather play the name-calling and blame game (and do it rather poorly at that) than offer anything the least bit useful.

niceguytx
Champion Author
Houston

Posts:5,706
Points:1,106,770
Joined:Sep 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 3:44:52 PM  Ignore niceguytx Report Abuse
He also has selfish interests, as he owns a lot of wind energy and water rights.
cucamping
Champion Author
Omaha

Posts:3,744
Points:812,365
Joined:Jun 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 2:53:20 PM  Ignore cucamping Report Abuse
good for him, now get the rest of the country on board.
CruisinLinda
Champion Author
Tallahassee

Posts:4,238
Points:863,385
Joined:Sep 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 1:55:35 PM  Ignore CruisinLinda Report Abuse
With 3,000 wind turbines making 6,000 megawtts of electricity between Odessa and Midland, Texas, there is more energy above the ground than below, and it is renewable and limitless, and clean and carbonless. With the electric grid, the power they produce can be distributed. Congratulations to T. Boone for finding nonpartisan, useful things to do with his money other than create dissension. Now if we could get him interested in solar power, Texas gets a lot of sunlight with few clouds in arid areas. And in water currents moving turbines, too, to create electricity.

[Edited by: CruisinLinda at 7/9/2008 12:59:29 PM EST]
sluggopyle
Champion Author
North Carolina

Posts:7,046
Points:629,805
Joined:Dec 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 12:15:50 PM  Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse
Interesting that a 900-year-old technology, when promoted by the environmental movement as alternative energy 20-30 years ago was dismissed as wacko treehugger hippie crap, but when a famous rightwing activist gets on board, the national media falls all over itself to fawn.

In the interim the wacko treehugger hippies have found some downsides that might dictate some moderation in where this can be done, which the article didn't seem to mention.

Good for him for bringing a spotlight on alternative energy in general though. Whatever works.

Some of the same areas mentioned here (Plains, Southwest) could also be ideal spots for solar farms as proposed by Scientific American. They seem to have it all planned out; the only thing they need is some bombastic conservative gadfly to do an splash event so the media can feel "safe" enough to cover it.
esquared
Champion Author
Oklahoma City

Posts:1,413
Points:632,770
Joined:Jan 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 12:03:28 PM  Ignore esquared Report Abuse
Heard him on NPR yesterday. He's none too kind in his assessment of the two oilmen who have occupied the White House for the last 7.5 years. Pickens is canny enough to enlist the Sierra Club in his wind power initiative -- maybe he's got enough clout to get the attention of us consumers as well!
greywolves
Champion Author
Las Vegas

Posts:1,190
Points:938,410
Joined:Dec 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:57:34 AM  Ignore greywolves Report Abuse
pickens has positioned his mesa energy group with holding in the texas panhandle for a multi billion dollar investment in wind and solar. in the next few weeks he will spend millions of his own money on a perot style patriotic political advertizing campaign to fucus public opinion on a long term energy policy which coincidentally will include long term subsidies for wind and solar from which mesa will greatly benefit.
Rageagainsttm
Champion Author
Tampa

Posts:1,912
Points:431,090
Joined:Jul 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:55:22 AM  Ignore Rageagainsttm Report Abuse
dont blow it
rbrowdersr
All-Star Author
Detroit

Posts:965
Points:469,175
Joined:Aug 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:53:46 AM  Ignore rbrowdersr Report Abuse
It'll be to his benefit.
domer2
All-Star Author
Gary

Posts:882
Points:380,950
Joined:May 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:49:29 AM  Ignore domer2 Report Abuse
he has enough wind himself to power 3 states
ramshot412
Champion Author
Riverside

Posts:11,955
Points:1,197,830
Joined:Apr 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:47:34 AM  Ignore ramshot412 Report Abuse
We need more of this.
letmathe
Champion Author
Chicago

Posts:6,983
Points:1,703,230
Joined:May 2001
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:45:00 AM  Ignore letmathe Report Abuse
Alternatives are crucial.
ardmoretoday
All-Star Author
Oklahoma

Posts:884
Points:460,565
Joined:May 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:41:02 AM  Ignore ardmoretoday Report Abuse
No matter how much wind T Boone may have it is a good idea. Maybe a little late but good. I live about 15 miles from where the blades for these gigantic wind generators are made - there are at least 6 trucks going down I-35 each day - 12 enormous blades. That is 4 generators each day. When his wind farm is complete it will be the largest in the world and the fuel - Absolutely Free.
cudatim
All-Star Author
San Antonio

Posts:740
Points:372,735
Joined:Jan 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:37:11 AM  Ignore cudatim Report Abuse
What ever would work won't be worth anything unless we get started on it now. All talk and no action makes the gas pumps go up.
MitchelSdReview
All-Star Author
South Dakota

Posts:509
Points:102,200
Joined:Jun 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:36:47 AM  Ignore MitchelSdReview Report Abuse
We neeed to not only drill we need to also look at alternative sources of power. We must do both.
cantonbill
All-Star Author
Atlanta

Posts:532
Points:130,525
Joined:Mar 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:34:26 AM  Ignore cantonbill Report Abuse
Free market works sometimes! We've needed conservation and alternative energy for years, but have ignored the building problem while prices have been low. The high prices, while they really do s*ck, at least are getting people to think about the future.
celtic14
All-Star Author
Florida

Posts:764
Points:714,865
Joined:Nov 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:31:59 AM  Ignore celtic14 Report Abuse
sailormon wrote: "I think the NIMBY attitude will go away once people have to pay double for electricity!! They will beg to have one in their back yard!"

Exactly. Like those liberal hypocrites (pardon the redundancy) in Mass. fighting the planned windmills around Nantucket. Better yet, shut off their electricity altogether and watch them *really* beg! Then post the begging videos on YouTube!
Egor
Champion Author
Regina

Posts:1,342
Points:574,195
Joined:Aug 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:28:26 AM  Ignore Egor Report Abuse
If you are going to make lots of Electricity, then why not get off the Natural Gas kick and step it up a notch to Hydrogen. If you do that, then you will have something. It's gonna take a while to get there though.
sluggopyle
Champion Author
North Carolina

Posts:7,046
Points:629,805
Joined:Dec 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:28:05 AM  Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse
If there's one thing T-Boone has in abundance, it's wind.

("legendary"? did he write the article himself?)
bkstecklein
Sophomore Author
Tulsa

Posts:172
Points:482,675
Joined:Sep 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:27:24 AM  Ignore bkstecklein Report Abuse
I don't like the man and believe he is a crook, but in this sense he is right. we have been paying for terrorism for years by buying foreign oil.
sluggopyle
Champion Author
North Carolina

Posts:7,046
Points:629,805
Joined:Dec 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:27:04 AM  Ignore sluggopyle Report Abuse
If there's one thing T-Boone has in abundance, it's wind.
mcevoy22
Sophomore Author
Utah

Posts:240
Points:64,410
Joined:Jun 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:27:00 AM  Ignore mcevoy22 Report Abuse
That is great, but can you find a renewable energy source that we can have on demand. i.e. in the middle of the night, the winds stops blowing, where do we get our energy from? You can't store it, because that is not "green".
tazdriver
Champion Author
Alabama

Posts:2,323
Points:573,460
Joined:Jan 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:24:36 AM  Ignore tazdriver Report Abuse
There are places where it could ease oil consumption.
laddyboy62
Champion Author
Riverside

Posts:1,591
Points:996,285
Joined:Mar 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:23:43 AM  Ignore laddyboy62 Report Abuse
boone talks...america listens...been at this game for many yrs
kidmikey37
All-Star Author
Texas

Posts:514
Points:137,770
Joined:Apr 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:22:58 AM  Ignore kidmikey37 Report Abuse
bring it on, don't talk, do
NickHammer
Champion Author
Maryland

Posts:5,568
Points:981,725
Joined:Aug 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:22:11 AM  Ignore NickHammer Report Abuse
America has so much to offer from a renewable energy standpoint. We have areas that get a lot of wind, deserts for solar power, water for hydroelectric power. While these may only make a dent in our energy needs now, more research and better technology in harnessing this clean energy can make a big difference in the not-too-distant future (as opposed to 2030).

If we spent our time, money, and energy (pun intended) on solutions for clean energy that we can produce at home, instead of on name-calling (yes, I'm talking about you, rjb21760), everyone in the country would benefit, from cleaner air to breathe to more money in our pockets.

If this ends up making a super-rich guy even richer, so be it.
rbdesigns
Veteran Author
Modesto

Posts:492
Points:171,565
Joined:May 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:20:12 AM  Ignore rbdesigns Report Abuse
Someone should design a small windmill for people to use on their own home, but then that would be stopped real quick by the oil companies.
SavannahSteph
Sophomore Author
Georgia

Posts:164
Points:28,960
Joined:Feb 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:19:54 AM  Ignore SavannahSteph Report Abuse
better option is solar panels on every roof ! not 50 foot high wind turbines.
rbdesigns
Veteran Author
Modesto

Posts:492
Points:171,565
Joined:May 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:18:48 AM  Ignore rbdesigns Report Abuse
There are lots of windmills in our area, but we could always use more!
roydarecker
Champion Author
Minnesota

Posts:2,938
Points:647,730
Joined:Sep 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:13:55 AM  Ignore roydarecker Report Abuse
He has the right idea. Although it is not the only answer.
Egaser
Veteran Author
Atlanta

Posts:414
Points:163,740
Joined:Apr 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:12:25 AM  Ignore Egaser Report Abuse
I always thought he was a little windy.
sailormon
All-Star Author
Michigan

Posts:649
Points:206,080
Joined:Jul 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:09:34 AM  Ignore sailormon Report Abuse
I think the NIMBY attitude will go away once people have to pay double for electricity!! They will beg to have one in their back yard!
MAXARONI
Veteran Author
Virginia

Posts:492
Points:154,650
Joined:Apr 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:08:10 AM  Ignore MAXARONI Report Abuse
he's smart enough to see the future is not oil
tomok
Champion Author
Portland

Posts:9,670
Points:721,110
Joined:Aug 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:07:08 AM  Ignore tomok Report Abuse
Already been done dude!
Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington already have wind power sites.
There are some in parts of California, Nevada and Utah.
So now, T Boone, you can join the group.......
MetroManiac
All-Star Author
Rochester

Posts:891
Points:90,115
Joined:Apr 2007
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:05:51 AM  Ignore MetroManiac Report Abuse
smart man, looking to the future.
vascojoe
Champion Author
Washington

Posts:1,172
Points:933,100
Joined:Aug 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:04:52 AM  Ignore vascojoe Report Abuse
It is amazing how the press is redeeming Pickens.
jonboy08
Champion Author
Cleveland

Posts:1,052
Points:51,740
Joined:Feb 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:01:10 AM  Ignore jonboy08 Report Abuse

This is going to be fun to watch; T.Boone Pickens is going to find slim-pickens because there are many NIMBY's out there (Not In My Back Yard).
RochBear
Champion Author
Minnesota

Posts:1,758
Points:505,580
Joined:May 2006
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 11:00:26 AM  Ignore RochBear Report Abuse
This past weekend, I stopped at a wind farm in MN. I drove right up to a 2.5 Mega Watt wind mill. IT's HUGE! The blades are 150 feet long (each) and each wind mill has 3.
I drove up to it, opened the window of the car, and I could not hear it, and there was 25 MPH wind, so it was really turning. So these windmills are quieter than an ideling car!
So for those who say they are noisy, goto a modern one. I saw no dead birds, (birds have some brains, and avoid them). I think they are beautiful. They are a lot more majestic than an oil pump.
chemist74
Champion Author
Cleveland

Posts:6,506
Points:1,046,620
Joined:Apr 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:56:21 AM  Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse
With natural gas now very expensive and the price climbing rapidly, I doubt if natural gas powered vehicles will be more than a niche market.

Wind power is becoming more practical but you are now seeing a lot more "not in my backyard". People trying to put up wind farms are getting people trying to block them because they claim they are ugly, will kill birds and may interfere with their TV reception.
CrazyQ
Champion Author
Washington

Posts:12,446
Points:1,462,375
Joined:Aug 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:56:00 AM  Ignore CrazyQ Report Abuse
Drill.
kkelkop
Rookie Author
Scranton

Posts:91
Points:24,820
Joined:May 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:52:43 AM  Ignore kkelkop Report Abuse
This sounds like a good idea!
tobasco
Champion Author
Los Angeles

Posts:3,122
Points:835,170
Joined:Mar 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:50:51 AM  Ignore tobasco Report Abuse
Nuclear, solar and wind...these all need to be taken advantage of in order to generate electricity. Nuclear will have to be used to charge the plug in hybrids that are charging overnight.
AC-302
Champion Author
Los Angeles

Posts:8,382
Points:1,318,330
Joined:Aug 2004
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:50:43 AM  Ignore AC-302 Report Abuse
Supplant oil with wind? Well his heart is in the right place, but the technology isn't mature enough to be efficient yet. But he does have a point. We're shipping over $700 Billion of our money overseas every year, when we could keep some of it at home. That kind of trade imbalance may not be sustainable.
GWayne
All-Star Author
Florida

Posts:599
Points:168,860
Joined:Mar 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:48:30 AM  Ignore GWayne Report Abuse
Sounds good to me, as long as he's not just blowing more hot air....
scrounger
Champion Author
Vancouver

Posts:6,281
Points:1,685,545
Joined:Mar 2003
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:48:27 AM  Ignore scrounger Report Abuse
sounds like a lot of hot air to me
ladyjj
Champion Author
Tennessee

Posts:1,467
Points:163,525
Joined:Apr 2008
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:48:16 AM  Ignore ladyjj Report Abuse
Well good for him but wonder why he is doing that if he's and oilman he will lose money. What is in it for him and his ten gallon hat.
my3sons
Champion Author
New York

Posts:1,600
Points:857,995
Joined:Aug 2005
Message Posted: 7/9/2008 10:48:01 AM  Ignore my3sons Report Abuse
anything that will lower the price of oil/fuel
Post a replyBack to Topics 

"Consumers working together to save on gas"
About Us | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Advertise With Us | Advertiser Log In | Contact Us   GasBuddy Organization Inc.