Pickens Plan District Group OK-05

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Comment by Geoff Bailey on October 27, 2009 at 10:37pm

Comment by Geoff Bailey on October 9, 2009 at 9:16am

Please come to a Town Hall meeting with T. Boone Pickens at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, Thursday, October 29th. Boone will discuss the Pickens Plan and take questions from the audience at the beautiful Gallagher-Iba arena.

Doors Open at 2:30 and the Town Hall begins promptly at 3:30. No RSVP is required. Admission is free.

For a map of Oklahoma State, please click here.

Comment by Geoff Bailey on August 19, 2009 at 3:39pm

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 Bob Powell on July 21, 2009 at 9:14am

How to end America’s deadly coal addiction
By Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Published: July 19 2009 19:36 | Last updated: July 19 2009 19:36

Converting rapidly from coal-generated energy to gas is President Barack Obama’s most obvious first step towards saving our planet and jump-starting our economy. A revolution in natural gas production over the past two years has left America awash with natural gas and has made it possible to eliminate most of our dependence on deadly, destructive coal practically overnight – and without the expense of building new power plants.

Whatever the slick campaign financed by the powerful coal barons might claim, coal is neither cheap nor clean. Ozone and particulates from coal plants kill tens of thousands of Americans each year and cause widespread illnesses and disease. Acid rain has destroyed millions of acres of valuable forests and sterilised one in five Adirondack lakes. Neurotoxic mercury raining from these plants has contaminated fish in every state and poisons over a million American women and children annually. Coal industry strip mines have already destroyed 500 mountains in Appalachia, buried 2,000 miles of rivers and streams and will soon have flattened an area the size of Delaware. Finally, coal, which supplies 46 per cent of our electric power, is the most important source of America’s greenhouse gases.

America’s cornucopia of renewables and the recent maturation of solar, geothermal and wind technologies will allow us to meet most of our energy needs with clean, cheap, green power. In the short term, natural gas is an obvious bridge fuel to the “new” energy economy.

Since 2007, the discovery of vast supplies of deep shale gas in the US, along with advanced extraction methods, have created stable supply and predictably low prices for most of the next century. Of the 1,000 gigawatts of generating capacity currently needed to meet national energy demand, 336 are coal-fired. Surprisingly, America has more gas generation capacity – 450 gigawatts – than it does for coal.

However, public regulators generally require utilities to dispatch coal-generated power in preference to gas. For that reason, high-efficiency gas plants are in operation only 36 per cent of the time. By changing the dispatch rule nationally to require that whenever coal and gas plants are competing head-to-head, gas generation must be utilised first, we could quickly reduce coal generation and achieve massive emissions reductions.

In an instant, this simple change could eliminate three-quarters of America’s coal-burning generators and save a fortune in energy costs. Around 920 US coal plants – 78 per cent of the total – are small (generating less than half a gigawatt), antiquated and horrendously inefficient. Their average age is 45 years, with many over 75. They tend to be located amidst dense populations and in poor neighbourhoods to lethal effect.

These ancient plants burn 20 per cent more coal per megawatt hour than modern large coal units and are 60 to 75 per cent less fuel-efficient than combined cycle gas plants. They account for only 21 per cent of America’s electric power but almost half the sector’s emissions. Properly assessed, the costs of operation, maintenance, capital improvements and repair of these antiquated facilities make them far more expensive to run than natural gas plants. However, irrational energy sector pricing structures make it possible for many plant operators to pass those costs to the public and make choices based exclusively on fuel costs, which in the case of coal appear deceptively cheap because of massive subsidies.

Mothballing or throttling back these plants would mean huge savings to the public and eliminate the need for more than 350m tons of coal, including all 30m tons harvested through mountain-top removal. Their closure would reduce US mercury emissions by 20-25 per cent, dramatically cut deadly particulate matter and the pollutants that cause acid rain, and slash America’s CO2 from power plants by 20 per cent – an amount greater than the entire reduction envisaged in the first years of the pending climate change legislation at a fraction of the cost.

To quickly gain further economic and environmental advantages, the larger, newer coal plants that remain in operation should be required to co-fire with natural gas. Many of these plants are already connected to gas pipelines and can easily be adapted to burn gas as 15 to 20 per cent of their fuel. Such co-firing dramatically reduces forced outages and maintenance costs and can be the most cost effective way to reduce CO2 emissions.

Natural gas comes with its own set of environmental caveats. It is a carbon-based fuel and its extraction from shale, the most significant new source, if not managed carefully, can have serious water, land use and wildlife impacts, especially in the hands of irresponsible producers and lax regulators. But those impacts can be mitigated by careful regulation and are dwarfed by the disaster of coal.


The writer is president of Waterkeeper Alliance

Comment by Geoff Bailey on July 20, 2009 at 11:58am

Are you interested in becoming a District Leader? It is a great way to get involved, and help others get involved in your community. With all of our legislative momentum going into the fall, and after the Pickens Plan One Year Anniversary, there has never been a better time to get involved!

If you’re interested, email me at Geoffrey@pickensplan.com and I can tell you more about our District Leader program. Come be a part of something special!

Geoff

Comment by Bob Powell on June 24, 2009 at 12:38pm

Home-grown fuel
Natural gas fueling stations expand
Tribune Editorial

Updated: 06/23/2009 05:15:33 PM MDT


Compressed natural gas is a cheap, safe, potentially plentiful and clean-burning motor fuel. It can help clear the air, reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions and lessen our reliance on foreign oil. There's only one obstacle that keeps it from becoming the preferred fuel for the state and the nation -- availability.

It's a Catch-22. Motorists are reluctant to spend more to buy vehicles or hybrids capable of running on compressed natural gas, or convert existing engines to burn CNG, until there are a sufficient number of fueling stations. And fuel providers are reluctant to install compressed natural gas pumps until there are a sufficient number of natural gas-powered cars on the roads. Something has to give. And that something is Questar Corp. and the state of Utah.

Officials from the regional natural gas company told state lawmakers last week that they may soon expand their natural gas service station system into the Uinta Basin, Green River and Wendover areas. And the state is doing its part to make the fuel more widely available, increasing compression at six state-owned fueling stations along the Wasatch Front and reopening the fleet-fueling facilities to the public.

Utah is already the envy of many states, with 25 natural gas fueling stations along the I-15 corridor from Brigham City to St. George. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who drives a CNG vehicle, has declared I-15 from Idaho to Arizona a "natural gas corridor."

Now, Questar


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is working with state officials in Wyoming and Colorado to create new corridors by adding fueling stations along Interstates 70 and 80, extending the range for Utah drivers and attempting to turn our success story into a regional phenomenon.

An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 natural-gas powered vehicles already operate on Utah highways, while portions of state, municipal, public transit and school district fleets burn natural gas. And, with CNG currently selling for 97 cents per gallon, it is, and should continue to be, a bargain.

But only Honda, which builds the CNG-burning Civic GX NGV, offers a new dedicated natural gas vehicle, with a list price about $7,000 higher than a regular Civic before tax credits. And engine conversions are prohibitively expensive for many motorists.

The end result: another Catch-22. Until the demand for the vehicles can drive down the price and widen the selection, natural gas vehicles won't become commonplace. And that won't happen until there's a nationwide network of CNG fueling stations. The rest of the country needs to follow Utah's and Questar's lead.

Comment by Bob Powell on June 18, 2009 at 11:33am

More on CNG In Utah and Colorado Why not do the same in Oklahoma?
June 18 News Clips
A The Salt Lake Tribune story says Utah’s NGV corridor may extend past I-15.
Utah’s already enviable network of compressed-natural-gas stations for cars is taking root along Interstate 15 and soon may branch out to other corners of the state.

Questar Corp. officials updated legislators Wednesday on this year’s CNG I-15 expansion, but hinted that the Uinta Basin, Green River and Wendover may follow. The idea is to link to neighboring states and encourage them to follow Utah’s lead in supplying low-polluting cars with regionally produced fuel.

“We are working with Colorado and Wyoming to try to get a better infrastructure in place on I-80 and I-70,” Questar government-relations manager Rey Butcher said. “It’s on our agenda.”

The U.S. government has released a report titled “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.”

A letter to the editor in the Deseret Newsapplauds Utah Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert for his skepticism regarding climate change and/or humanity’s contribution.

A U.S. Senate panel, according to Bloomberg, is backing new rules for utilities and energy companies in general.

A Senate energy panel approved legislation that would require utilities to get as much as 15 percent of their power from renewable sources and open more of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 15-8 today for the measure, which would also expand oversight of oil, natural gas and power markets.

A story by The Wall Street Journal says the United States has more than 100 years of natural gas.

The amount of natural gas available for production in the U.S. has soared 58% in the past four years, driven by a drilling boom and the discovery of huge new gas fields in Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, a new study says.

The report, due to be released Thursday by the nonprofit Potential Gas Committee, concludes that the U.S. has 2,074 trillion cubic feet of natural gas still in the ground, or nearly a century’s worth of production at current rates. That’s a 35.4% jump over the committee’s previous estimate, in 2007, of 1,532 trillion cubic feet, the biggest increase in the committee’s 44-year history. …

The natural-gas industry has promoted gas as a domestically produced option that is more environmentally friendly than coal and oil. Industry supporters said the new report could bolster their case by showing that the U.S. can rely more heavily on gas without running out. Natural gas currently makes up about 25% of U.S. energy consumption.

The New York Times has its own story about the report.

The finding raises the possibility that natural gas could emerge as a critical transition fuel that could help to battle global warming. For a given amount of heat energy, burning gas produces about half as much carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, as burning coal.

The Grand Junction (Colo.) Sentinel has a story about coal-miner layoffs, attributed in part to lower natural gas prices.

The nation’s recession and increased use of other electricity-generating fuels hit home for 61 coal miners who were laid off at the West Elk Mine in Somerset on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The layoffs follow the release of about 40 contract miners there a few weeks ago.

“Unfortunately, the U.S. coal markets have undergone an unprecedented contraction in recent months,” said Kim Link, spokeswoman for St. Louis-based Arch Coal, which owns Mountain Coal Co., the mine’s owner. …

In announcing its first-quarter results in April, Arch Coal said it expected a slowdown because of factors such as its customers switching to natural gas, increased use of nuclear energy and more precipitation in regions producing hydroelectric power.

The Associated Press reports that low natural gas prices are having an effect on Oklahoma’s state budget.

The Vernal (Utah) Expresshas a story about local chamber of commerce awards that mentions Questar:

Alan J. Walker was the featured guest speaker and discussed with the group his experiences in Iraq as well as Utah. He grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in production management. After ten years in the US Army in Turkey and Italy he worked for General Electric, Amoco Production and Questar.

Walker’s major engineering activities included completion and production of sour gas and gas-condensate wells in the Overthrust belt, production and planning of Questar’s utility division natural gas requirements from legacy properties throughout the Rocky Mountains, and currently is Technology Outreach Director for USTAR (Utah Science, Technology, and Research) initiative.

The Houston Chronicledetails the cooperation between the oil and natural gas industries and labor unions vis-a-vis job growth and energy policy. The Dallas Morning News has a story on the subject, too.

CNBC’s “Mad Money”host Jim Cramer is speculating about natural gas market manipulation.

The United States Natural Gas exchange-traded fund might be too powerful for its own good, Cramer said on Wednesday. The ETFs sudden popularity seems to be artificially driving up the commodity’s price, far beyond what the actual demand would require.

Filed under: Questar Gas, Questar Market Resources, Questar Pipeline

Comment by Geoff Bailey on June 17, 2009 at 7:48am

Thanks for sharing Lorrie!!

It's great to have both a Pickens Pledge signer and an HR 1835 Co-Sponsor representing the OK-05!

Geoff

Comment by Lorrie Lee on June 16, 2009 at 4:06pm

Excerpt of Letter From Oklahoma Rep. Mary Fallin Concerning Nat.Gas Act and Others:

Thank you for contacting me H.R. 1835, the NAT GAS Act of 2009 and H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. These are separate pieces of legislation.

H.R. 1835 was introduced by Representative Dan Boren (D-OK) on April 1, 2009 and was referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means, Oversight and Government Reform and Science and Technology. This legislation would incentivize the natural gas industry by offering tax credits for the purchase and production of vehicles fueled by natural gas or liquified natural gas-with a focus on heavy duty vehicles and fleet vehicles. The bill would also provide credits for the installation of natural gas pumps at service stations and for domestic liquefied natural gas production facilities. In addition, the bill states that by December 31, 2014, at least 50 percent of all new vehicles purchased or placed into service by the U.S. Government must be capable of operating on compressed or liquefied natural gas. As a co-sponsor of this important piece of legislation I recognize the vital role clean natural gas will play in our nation's energy future.

H.R. 2454 includes "cap and trade" provisions. This legislation was introduced by Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) on May 15, 2009. I recently joined a select group of Members of Congress who will be working to propose alternative energy policies. This American Energy Solutions Group brings together members of the House Republican leadership and members from states like Oklahoma who favor exploration and development, and we intend to play a central role as the debate over energy policy continues.

The group recently unveiled the American Energy Innovation Act -a proposal with a comprehensive set of policies that will secure our energy future and help grow our economy. The American Energy Innovation Act encourages innovation through entrepreneurship and reduces the financial, regulatory and legal burdens that stifle progress in energy markets. It uses tax cuts and other incentives to reduce demand and promote greater efficiency. Finally, it removes government barriers to environmentally responsible production of energy resources in Alaska, the Outer Continental Shelf and elsewhere.

Our proposal is an alternative to "cap and trade" legislation currently under consideration by House Democrats. While "cap and trade" may be well intentioned, the consequences of implementing huge new tax increases on the energy industry will be devastating to our economy, particularly in Oklahoma. Experts estimate the U.S. may lose as many as seven million jobs while utility and energy costs will skyrocket, raising prices for the average family by as much as $3100 per year. Our dependence on foreign oil will only worsen, our economy will become more unstable, and American families will pay the price.

Everyone agrees we need to protect the environment and pursue alternative sources of energy. The American Energy Innovation Act, however, does so in a way that promotes economic growth, rather than stifling the economy with tax increases and additional regulations. By promoting innovation, conservation and production, the American Energy Innovation Act outlines a clear vision for securing the future of American energy and economic productivity.

I take your views into consideration as I decide how to vote in the House. Please feel free to express those views; even if we may occasionally disagree, it is important to me to know your thoughts. Please be aware that because of mail security measures for Congress, your letters can be delayed for up to two weeks. If you wish to offer an immediate comment or suggestion, you can e-mail my office at by going directly to my website at www.fallin.house.gov. While you are there, feel free to sign up for my regular e-newsletter.

Comment by Geoff Bailey on May 19, 2009 at 9:29am

Rand Elliott denies he’s motivated by greed, but he admitted that following the economic crash in September, he’s been very motivated by fear.

Speaking to the Commercial Real Estate Council on Thursday, Elliott recalled how the start of the oil bust in 1983 forced him to trim his staff from 22 to four in one day. That memory, fear of what’s to come, and a design contest sponsored by Azure magazine all combined to inspire Elliott to dream up a project that drew gasps from developers and realtors gathered to hear his presentation of Turbinomic, a tower designed to generate its own power through a mix of solar and wind power.

"I didn’t win (the contest),” Elliott said. "But something more important, something incredible happened as a result of this exploration. The fear made me discover something that is always around us — the Oklahoma wind. And this idea could only happen in Oklahoma, not New York.”

To read more, please click here.

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