My Thoughts on the Pickens Plan...I welcome responses

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by StinkFut on July 17, 2008 at 9:31pm

To Tom, from GCP

Are you an oil speculator or what? We are in a very different world than the simple times of the US oil boom. We as consumers have been conned and lied to by big oil and the auto makers. They sell us what they want NOT want we want to buy. The free market is not so free when your choices are controlled by big business. Wind power must be sold to the public for the utilities to take it on. Apparently you are not well read, Brazil has cut off it's dependence on foreign oil with sugar cane ethanol. The was smart, corn ethonal is just another "free market snow job".

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wyndle Bates Jr. on July 17, 2008 at 10:16pm

Tom
Have you noticed that everyone that is being negative and calling you names seem to be fans of our latest Nobel Prize winner? I still have not figured out what he did to deserve it.

I have spent a lot of time reading this as well as many other blogs on this site and have discovered there are two definite factions at each others throats and they seem to want to fight over whether climate change is the direct result of man or nature more than work together to find some real answers to the problems at hand.

I have also spent a lot of time on a lot of other sites reading up on these issues, learned a lot, and seen the same battles over and over.

Now this said so far I have not seen anyone do much more than complain about the elected j******'s WE put in charge in Washington who have the power to make these messes and then try to convince us they will fix them. You know everyone blames the courrent president in office at the time but no one really holds the congress accountable for much, they have all the power to make the laws, pass the budgets and the power to override the president if necessary so who is the real problem here?

Here is the fastest way to a solution on energy, vote a boat load of the characters out who continue to fill the budget with pork barrel spending like building bridges to nowhere and give away social programs.

How much longer are the citizens of this country going to let their country be bought out by the lobbyist and special intrest? If we sent a bunch of these good ole boy's home instead of allowing them to stay in office for life something might change but until the public shows them who the boss is then all the blog's, and complaining are just a huge waste of energy.

Remember the old saying "when you point a finger at others there is three pointing right back at ya"

Discussion is great but only we can make something happen, the VOTE is the answer.

.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert M. Starr on July 18, 2008 at 3:14am

Although I regard myself as a conservationist, I am also a realist. While I am very much in favor of the move to cleaner energy, I believe that as a nation we must explore every available avenue to achieve energy independence. I personally think we need to allow the oil companies to drill offshore and in Alaska as a part of the process; many will disagree, but I do not believe they are in the majority. We have to begin immediately with existing technologies while we develop newer, better, cleaner technologies to protect the environment. And we have to make wise decisions based on facts, not fears or desires. I believe we should be good stewards of our planet. But we cannot stop using the technologies we have until we have technologies to replace them with.

Hydrogen fuel cells have enormous potential for certain applications, but the potential for failure of the delivery systems may make them less than ideal for use in automobiles. Electric cars may be much cleaner than gasoline-powered versions, but recycling the batteries currently makes the overall life-cycle environmental impact of a Toyota hybrid greater than that of a gas-guzzling Hummer. From its manufacturing process to public use, the Mercedes Smart Car is a carefully thought out option, but it does not meet every need for transportation. And the European version is much more frugal than the U.S. version; allowing the European version of this and similar vehicles to operate in the U.S. using cleaner biodiesel is an option that should be considered. And the solutions must be affordable to those who use them. Ten years ago, I considered the purchase of a Honda Insight that was rated at 70mpg; it cost more than twice what a 30+ mpg Honda Civic did. I could not afford the price difference, and, even with a 210 mile daily round trip commute, I could not save enough on fuel at then current prices to recover the price difference within the expected lifecycle of the Insight. We cannot fail to deal with such issues.

On the subject of the environment, our actions need to be wise, and much of what is being offered in the media as “fact” appears to be flawed reasoning and questionable science. As an intelligence analyst, one of the first things I was taught was to approach a problem without preconceived solutions in mind; otherwise, it is very easy to skew the results in the direction you expect or want them to go. We must act quickly, but our actions must be carefully considered. It does no good to complain that we should have foreseen the current crisis and acted sooner, and it is ridiculous to refuse to act because of the time it will take to achieve the necessary results. Some actions will have a more immediate effect; some will not come to fruition in my lifetime, but the time to begin is now. If we do not reverse our dependence on foreign oil, we will lose our freedom and our nation will perish from the face of the earth.

I am a computer systems engineer and was the Amarillo Region Information Technology manager and field IT specialist for a natural gas pipeline company, the subsidiary of a company also building a large windfarm in the Midwest, until the company chose to outsource IT support and terminated the field IT department. Although I lost my job in what I considered to be an ill-advised decision and am currently driving a truck, I believe it is important to realize that companies must be profitable to survive, and old technologies cannot be abandoned until new ones are established.

We moved to Washington primarily because we wanted to return to a more inviting environment. We love it here and have no wish to move. I have spent 35 years gathering information and planning to build a small passive annual heat storage earth-sheltered home and permaculture farm that is completely self-sufficient, using wind, solar and biodiesel produced from algae. My hope is to be able to share information and teach others to utilize the already available solutions and to be a part of finding new and better solutions. Not everyone can or will even want to pursue the lifestyle I seek, but many of the solutions are and will be applicable to urban and suburban living. Every reduction in energy use and every gain in renewable energy production is a positive step. Even a few watts of electricity saved or generated multiplied by millions of American homes greatly reduces our energy dependence.

None of us particularly like to make sacrifices, but we are forced to realize that they are often necessary. Most Americans have never lived with open sewers, but many have known hunger. If we do not accomplish the essential things now, tomorrow will be too late, and we will find ourselves living in conditions common to third-world countries—with no freedom and little hope.

Most of what you have just read was included in a letter to my congresswoman, who is a co-sponsor of the Americans for American Energy Act, so I was probably preaching to the choir. I may have a completely different reception from the two Senators who now represent me; I don't know anything about them yet. But several years ago I was a small part of something that showed me we can make a difference if we can agree to act together. The House of Representatives proposed legislation that would have prevented us from homeschooling our children; thousands of us tied up communications for several days in the national capitol with cards, letters, emails and phone calls. The legislation failed, and we were assured that the intent had not been to prevent us from teaching our children at home. A month or so later, we had to do the same thing to stop a similar bill in the Senate. If enough Americans put enough pressure on our elected officials and convince them that they have the choice to act according to our wishes or be voted out of office, they will comply. They may expect us to go back to sleep, which we have done too often, but as long as we are awake, they will pay attention.

So, is Pickens' Plan the solution? It's the only one I've seen yet that may have a chance to work, but he is right. We have to be on the same page, going in the same direction. I hate compromise, and I always like to think I'm right (my wife has described me as arrogant, obnoxious, loud-mouthed, long-winded and overbearing--those are probably my good points). I've seen a good many posts on this forum to suggest others here share those traits. If we can't put our differences aside, find some common ground and do what is necessary . . . well, I've already written my version of doom and gloom, not a legacy I wish to leave for my grandchildren.

Robert

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Adam Shield on July 18, 2008 at 3:38pm

Idiots are good at keeping idiots in power, I make no distinction at any party, but we need to get some tenure rules laid down right away and get some of these long tooths out and stop the power foot ins of the same politicians after them. Of course you become comfortable and careless when you have been grain fed in a nice warm place for 30 years. The long term politician thing is bad for the country. 2 terms max, if you serve your second, you get taken to the basement of the capitol building and executed the day your tenure is up. That way you know who they were serving.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rhonda on July 17, 2008 at 11:00pm

OK; so I can't wrap my head around the politics of this, but I have a commonsense idea and the feeling that if "OIL" is "Big Business" ( which was a difficult undertaking at its infancy because you had to convince investors into believing that the drill site had oil and still to this day INVESTORS want to KNOW the oil is there before they want to invest in a new drill site.) and it continues to make people rich, so why wouldn't other resources be just as big with the right support? The way I see it is that everyone has become COMFORTABLE in the use of oil and it took a process to get there. Innovation is a process and takes support of real people to incite change. I agree that something needs to change in the way we use our resources and now is the time for change... the economy is in a recession and everyone is feeling the crunch. When one thing dictates to another, it is the right time for change. What kind of change is the question. I see that when Oil was raising and the gas prices started to increase over the past five years, and has made major increases in the past two years to record highs; it has affected everything including the price of milk. So this dictates to me that it is just ONE of the main sources of economy stress. Now what to do about it. Alternative and cheaper more economical energy sources. Ethanol, Methane, butane, Propane, Wind, solar energy, Nuclear, steam, domestic oil, or anything that might relieve our dependence on foreign resources and paying the premium. I also feel that there can be more done in the energy saving device technologies. If most everything that we use daily is energy dependent we need technologies that reduce the use of that energy. Electricity is not unlimited and power plants can not always keep up with load demands.
We need more choices, and alternatives to keep money here at home and support our own national interests, instead of foreign nations.
Don't depend on "free Market" to "get us there". Real people, not corporations need to make the first steps of change. Be proactive in your future and the future of our nation and rally for change.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Roger Hoots on July 18, 2008 at 5:17am

Gas has been cheap in the US. Gas is on every corner everywhere. Until gas exceeded $3.00 a gallon there was no monetary incentive to switch to anything else. Now that gas is over $4.00 a gallon everyone is howling. If gas prices go back down the howling will stop and everyone will forget about what is happening right now. When it comes to the leadership of our nation the average american citizen is a lazy, uninformed, irresponsible idiot. We don't pay any attention to who we are voting for and we don't pay any attention to what elected officials do once they are in office.
What is happening today with gas prices is nothing new. In 1973 we had the same situation we have today, actually it was worst. Anyone remember 55mph on the highway. In 1968 Richard Nixon said we needed a national policy to achieve energy independence. That was 40 years ago.
If you want to know why you are now paying through the nose for gas, just look in the mirror. While you are looking in that mirror ask yourself this question, "what have I done personally to hold any elected offical accountable for anything". Our elected representitive are suppose to do what we want them to do and concerning this issue and many other issues that is exactly what they have been doing, NOTHING! We as citizens demanded nothing of them and that is what they gave us. Then after they gave us nothing we reelected them.
Many years ago I was given a piece of advice by very wise gentlemen. He said to me " in all aspects of your life you can expect what you inspect". If american citzens want things to change, with this issue or any issue, they have to wake up and take personal responsibility for making that happen. If the average american would stop believeing they don't count and start believeing" if it is to be it is up to me", their is NOTHING we could not achieve.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Adam Shield on July 18, 2008 at 3:08pm

You know what, this is almost a revolutionary period, while I don't necessarily mean guns and violence (though I do have mine just in case). Hopefully the people will stand up for what's right. Apathy is what will break the camel's back, and simply the fact that more and more people are talking about it and becoming truly passionate in what he/she believes(regardless), which is important to this process of change. If things keep the way they are now, and people continue to start to speak up (particularly those with the means to reach masses of people through media, i.e. Pickens) about our now careless dinosaur of a government, it'll change. Its become too political, and that is what has to change, this whole right and wrong based soley upon party affiliation. I speak for neither party, for our government is guilty of apathy and greed, with all this earmarking and lobby. The key is to not back down now, at least keep talking, its got our government aired to the side of caution right now anyways, the kettle is getting awful hot. Its fortunate that we have a powerful tool like the internet so common to help this along. So at the very least here, stick to your guns America, we're all gonna be the ones in the right who make change. Times like these make me proud to be an American.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Frank Sartor on July 18, 2008 at 6:20am

This iniative has huge potential as it forms an easy coalition between patriotic citizens and enviromental friendly supporters. Is it economically feasible i.e. will it now occur because of the free market? If it is sounds like a good investment. Publically trade it raise capital and let us invest in our future.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by DAVID LARGE on July 18, 2008 at 7:24am

I CAN TELL YOU THAT MR. PICKENS IS SO RIGHT AND IF CONGRESS DONT HURRY AND MOVE WE ARE GOING TO BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE .IN 1972 OUR COMPANY TRANSFER ALL OF OUR GAS TRUCKS TO NATURAL GAS, AT THAT TIME WE OPERATED 400 TRUCKS NATURAL GAS WORKS GREAT.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by joe on July 18, 2008 at 4:06pm

Tom,

I have to agree with you 100%. In a market-driven economy which is what is supposed to be the case in the US, it should be simply a matter of T. Boone Pickens taking some of his multi-millions and investing it in a venture, which, if its as feasible as his "plan" claims, should be making money hand over fist in no time since it purports to be cheaper than oil.

Having said that, I find the so-called "plan" to be an empty shell. The section of the "plan" entitled "How do we get it done?" has nothing in it of substance. Here is a direct quote:

"How do we get it done?

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.

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. But it will take leadership."

So, the plan is to "build wind generation facilities" and "better utilize our natural gas resources"

Nothing at all of substance in those two statements. One could make the same argument with our domestic oil resources, such as making better use of them by promoting conservation, building more efficient autos, (both of these which are already well-known to be feasible) and a host of other measures that could no doubt cut oil consumption dramatically, and perhaps get US consumption down to what we are able to produce domestically.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Adam Shield on July 18, 2008 at 5:05pm

This still doesn't address the fact that we will have to have alternative energy at some point. Waiting for things to become more desperate won't do us any justice. Just saying we will use only our oil from here on out doesn't focus on long term goals, its a little morphine for us to stave off the pain in the ass that is imported oil. What would be your ideas for a future not entirely reliant on oil? Again, ignorance is a substitute for thoughtful planning. We cant just get another fix and lay back and enjoy it. We have to prepare somehow for the future and more so a future less dependent on finite resources.
You have got to start somewhere, and Pickens has at least acknowledged the need to take that step. It sounds a lot better than our current plan of "Lets pay out of our a**** to OPEC countries who spit in our faces as we do so, wait until thats unbearable, and then count on sticking straws down in our own ground till that euphoria begins to expire." Lets use our oil, an ever more valuable asset, as a platform on which to work towards more efficient energy. I fail to see the problem in at least beginning to institute such a plan. We need our government to attack this from many fronts. Get our oil out of the ground as quick tournequette for our hemorrhaging economy and weakening dollar, but lets get to it on building sustainable energy, so we don't put ourselves in a position of desperation again when we have to count on dwindling supplies of oil here.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marlene Kaiser on July 20, 2008 at 11:38am

I say use biodegradable materials. Landfills, sewer plants, farm waste of all types. We don't need to raise corn. I believe getting the price down on fuel cells so that they are feasible for everyone would be the smartest thing we can do.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18
• …
• 22
• Next ›
• Page