Pickens Plan District Group CO-02

Add a Comment

Comment by Geoff Bailey on November 9, 2009 at 10:11pm

Friday, November 06, 2009

Too often in Congress, and in our political debate, people stake out a position and, in the course of defending that position, refuse to credit anything their opponent is saying. We’ve all seen that.

When it comes to passing a clean energy plan for the United States, we need to take a broader, longer look at all of the tools we have at our disposal to accomplish two very important goals: Enhancing national security and reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

Far from being mutually exclusive, these two crucial goals are complementary and should be understood as goals that are beyond partisan politics. They really are crucial for our country’s future, along with the pressing need we also have to spur job growth and get our economy fueled up.

In spite of all the talk about energy independence since the first “energy crisis” in 1973, we are still importing nearly two-thirds of the oil we use in the United States. Why is this a national security problem? Because we are dependent on that oil from many countries and regions that are unstable or unfriendly to the United States.

Month after month, we are spending about $25 billion to buy foreign oil. Over the course of a year, that may add up to $300 billion. That is money that should be circulating through the economy of the United States, instead of the economies of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Venezuela.

To show just how dangerous this situation is becoming, earlier this month CNBC reported that Russia has surpassed Saudi Arabia as “the top crude oil producer in the world, pumping a record 10.01 million barrels of output in September.”

Russia is the largest single supplier of natural gas to much of Europe. Last year, in the dead of winter, in a price dispute with Ukraine, Russia simply turned a valve and shut off supplies to Europe to force the affected countries to bring pressure on Ukraine to settle.

This is where using all the tools in our toolbox comes into play.

One bill making its way through the Senate and the House is the NAT GAS (S.1408) Act, which will help provide tax incentives to change cars and trucks running on imported gasoline and diesel to natural gas.

With recent improvements in the techniques and technology to recover natural gas from the enormous shale deposits under the continental United States, studies indicate we could have natural gas deposits that would last for more than 100 years. This is a sea-change from what we thought our natural gas reserves were prior to being able to utilize these so-called “shale plays.”

Going to domestic natural gas as a principal transportation fuel will also have significant, if not almost immediate, impacts on the U.S. economy. Along with jobs being created in other alternative energy areas, we can produce and/or save thousands of jobs in the supply chain of natural gas vehicles, from the well-head to the manufacturing floor and from sales and distribution to fueling and maintenance.

Seventy percent of the oil we import is used as transportation fuel. We can’t run 18-wheelers on batteries and, while we can and should do more with renewable energy sources like wind and solar, putting fuel in the gas tank is a special challenge. There are over 10 million natural gas vehicles in the world, but only about 130,000 in the United States. Natural gas can be used in virtually any vehicle running on our streets and highways.

Natural gas is cleaner than either oil or coal. In fact, natural gas emits almost 30 percent less carbon dioxide than oil, and just under 45 percent less carbon dioxide than coal. And natural gas produces almost no particulate emissions.

Natural gas can and must be developed in an environmentally responsible way that includes involvement from local communities. But properly developed, it can play a significant role in our energy future.

It is a bridge fuel that can get us to the next era of clean fuels. Natural gas will not last forever, and we will not need to use it forever. But, as a transition fuel, it can help us do our part in cleaning up the planet, it can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and it can provide a real boost for jobs and the economy.

Mark Udall, a Democrat, is the senior senator from Colorado. T. Boone Pickens is chairman and CEO of BP Capital, which operates energy-focused commodity and equity funds.

To read more, please click here.

Comment by Geoff Bailey on August 19, 2009 at 3:42pm

Letters to the editor are some of the most effective ways of communication today! Op-Eds and local LTE are terrific marketing tools that allow you to convey your thoughts and ideas to your friends, family and neighbors. They are fun, make an impact and, best of all, FREE!

Help Boone spread his message of ending our dependence on foreign oil.

Do you want to have a letter to the editor you write published in your local newspaper? If so, message me on Push or email me at Geoffrey@pickensplan.com and I can help you come up with a LTE of your own.

It's the little effort we make today that makes the big difference tomorrow!

Geoff
Geoffrey@pickensplan.com

Comment by Geoff Bailey on August 19, 2009 at 3:42pm

Good Afternoon!

We are smack dab right in the middle of August Recess. Members of Congress (MOC) are back in their districts, holding events and Town Hall meetings. This is our time to shine army! While the majority of the current Town Hall meetings are focusing on Health Care, other issues are covered as well. I would encourage you to attend your MOC Town Hall and ask them a few quick questions:

1. What is your plan to end our dependence on foreign oil?
2. If you don’t have a plan, do you support the Pickens Plan?
3. If so, would you sign the Pickens Pledge?
4. Are you a Co-Sponsor of HR 1835, “The Natural Gas Act of 2009?” It’s a vital piece of legislation that, for the first time, gives the right incentives for natural gas to become a viable transportation fuel alternative to foreign oil. It currently has 77 bipartisan Co-Sponsors in the House – split almost evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

To find out where your MOC is having their next Town Hall meeting, visit their website and email/call their office for more information. You can do that here: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml or by calling the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Also, don’t forget about your Senators! S 1408 is the sister bill of HR 1835 and we need to make sure all 100 members of the United States Senate have signed up as Co-Sponsors! You can check out where your Senators are having Town Halls in your area by emailing/calling their offices for dates and locations. You can do that here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm or by calling the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Together, we can end our dependence on foreign oil. But it is going to take all of us working together. The effort we put in today will give us the secure energy future we want for tomorrow!

Geoff
Geoffrey@pickensplan.com

Comment by Geoff Bailey on August 13, 2009 at 9:32am

By T. Boone Pickens
08/13/2009
Denver Post

America has enough natural gas to meet all our needs for the next 100 years. We should be using this vast natural resource to help provide electrical power, as feedstock for our chemical industry, and as a principal transportation fuel.

There is strong national interest in moving away from high-carbon fuels to non-carbon fuels. That will not happen overnight, but natural gas is the perfect solution for this transition period. It is the lowest cost carbon fossil fuel; we have huge reserves in the continental United States; and it is the most widely distributed proven, stable domestic energy source.

As we move toward more alternative sources of electrical energy, we have to deal with the fact that the wind does not always blow, nor does the sun always shine. Natural gas will play a critical role in keeping the grid stable; providing electricity during peak periods is much more efficient with natural gas because gas turbines can be turned on and off with relative ease.

We continue to import an unconscionable percentage of our oil needs. In June, we imported 374 million barrels at a cost of $24.7 billion. Putting aside our imports from Canada and Mexico, we have placed our economy, our environment and our national security into the hands of the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Angola, Nigeria and Venezuela. These are countries in unstable areas, and some of them do not have America's best interests at heart.

Of all the oil we import, 70 percent is used for transportation, for the gasoline and diesel which powers our 250 million cars, light trucks and 6.5 million 18-wheelers.

On the climate side, Americans dump about 20 tons of carbon per person per year into the atmosphere. Most of that carbon waste stays in the atmosphere for 100 years or longer.

We are working hard to move to a non-carbon transportation system. Batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are the most likely candidates, but they are far from ready to deal with the scale of America's rolling fleet.

There are about 10 million vehicles in the world operating on natural gas. Only about 146,000 of these are in the U.S. Natural gas is a proven, ready-to-roll technology.

Batteries will not power 18- wheelers. The only domestic fuel available to move America's goods around and across the nation is natural gas, which, because it produces virtually no particulate emissions, has a huge environmental advantage over imported oil/diesel.

Recent studies have estimated that, because of advanced completion techniques, we have over 100 years of reserves of natural gas in the continental U.S., largely in the shale deposits under Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Appalachia.

A study completed by the Potential Gas Committee, a group of academics and industry specialists supported by the Colorado School of Mines, concluded that the energy contained in our natural gas reserves exceeds the energy contained in all the oil in Saudi Arabia.

AT&T, one of the largest commercial fleet operators in the country, recently announced it would be buying more than 8,000 new vehicles that operate on natural gas. It is estimated a fleet of trucks can go from one coast to the other with only 20 refueling stops.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are moving their trucks from diesel to natural gas to meet air quality standards. Using natural gas as a transportation fuel is gaining momentum. Companion bills in the U.S. House and Senate provide tax incentives to jump start the use of natural gas as a major transportation fuel.

No matter how you approach it, natural gas is crucial for America's environmental, economic and national security future.

T. Boone Pickens is a featured guest at today's New West Summit at the Colorado History Museum. Go to projectnewwestsummit.com for more information.

To read more, please click here.

Interested in writing an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor? Email Regional Leader Geoff Bailey at Geoffrey@pickensplan.com for help with content and ideas! Letters to the editor are free, easy, fun and effective ways of communicating the Pickens Plan message to your friends, family and neighbors!

Comment by Geoff Bailey on July 13, 2009 at 11:34am

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter was the closing speaker at the annual Colorado Oil & Gas Association’s annual three-day conference. In an article written by Cathy Proctor in the Denver Business Journal, Ritter said,

“Natural gas is a vital part of the New Energy Economy. It is a permanent part of the New Energy Economy. It’s not a bridge fuel, not a transition fuel, but a mission-critical fuel.”

Recent studies have shown that the amount of natural gas which is available for recovery in the continental United States contains more energy than all the oil in Saudi Arabia.

According to Proctor’s article, “The Governor’s Energy Office is applying for a $10 million federal grant to expand the use of natural gas for transportation uses.” Gov. Ritter, told the 2,000 attendees that he is calling for the “state’s expansion of tax credits for vehicles that run on compressed natural gas, and credits for converting vehicles to run on natural gas.”

Ms. Proctor wrote, “Ritter’s comments drew applause and praise from industry executives,” including Peter Dea, president and CEO of private Cirque Resources LP in Denver who said,

“I thought the governor’s comment that natural gas is a vital part of the New Energy Economy and a permanent fuel - not a bridge fuel - and a critical fuel for Colorado and the nation is right on point.”

To read more, please click here.

Comment by Robert Schultz on May 7, 2009 at 2:32pm

Invitation to join the NW Renewable Energy Group
I have started a Regional group, welcoming comments, ideas, and suggestions for Renewable Energy in the NW Region. Including states from the Pacific, Cascade and Rocky Mountain areas. I realize that some of my Pickens Plan friends are outside this region, but you are always welcome to join and add your thoughts to the discussion. We should be looking at best available sources of energy in our region, and ways to improve the power grid to transfer energy from region to region as it is needed.

Robert Schultz
Pickens Plan
WA-05 District Leader

Comment by Michael P. Dolan on April 24, 2009 at 9:28am

Be Energy Smart:
http://manhattan-institute.org/energymyths/myth8.htm

Comment by Michael P. Dolan on April 20, 2009 at 7:50am

Folks, this was easier than I anticipated. The Daily Camera published the opinion article last week:

Click Here to check it out.

Comment by Michael P. Dolan on April 17, 2009 at 9:27am

'This industry can help lay the bridge to a more secure energy future'
US Sen. Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.), addressing US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in her testimony at the US Department of the Interior's Apr. 8 hearing in New Orleans about a draft proposed five-year Outer Continental Shelf leasing plan:
"First, let me begin by saying that I and many people here share your vision for energy security for our country. We would like to reach for energy independence, but we are certain we can achieve energy security.
"That begins, in our view, by supporting the domestic oil and gas industry. This industry has changed and developed rapidly and significantly, in terms of becoming more environmentally sensitive.
"I was in Rep. Charles Boustany and Rep. Charlie Melancon's districts yesterday in South Louisiana touring some of our front-line oil and gas independent companies to relate to you that it looks more like the space industry than the old-fashioned rigs and derricks. The breadth and depth of this technology that allows to us find these resources 10,000 feet below sea level, and to find it safely and securely, to deliver to American homes and businesses is truly breathtaking.
"I come today to urge you to look very hard at the proposed tax increases that would diminish the muscle and power of this industry that has served this country so well for so long. It helped to win the Second World War. We helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution. This oil and gas industry, with the right environmental safeguards and regulations, can help lay the bridge to a more secure energy future.
"One of the things I wanted to stress this morning, and it is very important for our delegations to continue to say this, is that there are large differences between large, integrated oil and gas corporations and the thousands of small, independent exploration production companies.
"Exxon, Chevron, Shell and other large corporations that we're familiar with raise their capital through public offerings, spreading risks among many shareholders. But our thousands of independent companies that are in all of our districts through Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana invest large sums of personal money, taking on personal risk. As a result, it is clear that a corporation's capacity to acquire large amounts of capital is much greater, and the personal risks are lower than for our independents.
"In addition, small independent companies employ a tremendous number of people. Independents produce 82 percent of domestic gas and 68 percent of U.S. oil. They virtually reinvest 100 percent of their money right here in America. So as we search for security and independence, and President [Barack H.] Obama looks to create jobs in America, let's start with supporting our nation's oil and gas industry."
Contact Nick Snow at nicks@pennwell.com

Comment by Geoff Bailey on April 12, 2009 at 9:11pm

Awesome article Michael! Thank you for sharing!

This might be a great opportunity to put a call into the Governor's Office, talk to his Energy point person, and ask if he will sign the pledge.

Bill Ritter, Governor
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203-1792

Phone
(303) 866-2471

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last