Pickens Plan District Group TX-21

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Comment by Bill Raissle on August 25, 2009 at 4:49pm

District 21 team, Folks, this battle is FAR from won, and with our nation focused on this healthcare thing and cutting the CIA out of intellegence gathering, let's get their attention back on energy independence!!!! It's far too important! Is there anyone out there in District 21?

Look here http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/Your_turn__July_27_2009.html

It's as easy as apple pie to get your view of the Pickens Plan in a letter to the editor! All you have to do is DO IT. And Geoff will help you with the context if you're not much with words! Come on folks, identify your local newspaper, e-mail Geoff for some thoughts on an Letter to the Editor, and submit one!

This is a very serious issue we're dealing with here, and it's not about politics, democrats or republicans, it's about the future of this great nation!

Give it a minute, take the action, and get your opinion out there.

Regards to all

Bill Raissle

Comment by Geoff Bailey on August 19, 2009 at 2:28pm

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 2:27pm

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 Bill Raissle on July 16, 2009 at 5:59am

Hey District 21, is anyone out there? We've just had the first anniversary of the Pickens Plan and wow is it making a difference. When I first heard the Pickens commercials back around election time, I like what I heard so I checked out the Pickens Plan website. I looked at it and my first reaction was it sounds great but failed to make the case for natural gas and wind. Well over time, the case is clear for sure and the way people feel about being dependent on countries who would just as soon see our great country go away is also clear. Washington D.C. is one amazing aparatus for sure. When we have problems like this, Congress is trying to go after the likes of Roger Clemens, and trying to make sure our soldiers don't smoke even though they send them into harms way to possibly lose their lives. Nancy Pelosi wants a bigger jet, anyone with any resources is going to get buried with more taxes, and list of priorities in Congress is just amazing. Well, in my book Freedom from Dependence on Foreign Oil is right up at the top -- and they only way Congress acts is by pressure and continual "noise" from the people.

Let's keep this up and keep those e-mails flowing to our politicians so they will not get distracted from this important issue and keep supporting T Boone Pickens -- a truly Great American!

Have a great "Free from Foreign Oil" day,

Bill Raissle

Comment by Bill Raissle on April 23, 2009 at 8:19am

OK folks, here's the latest from up in Big D. It's time again to keep the pressure on our fearless leaders in political positions. Review the material below and call your representatives

Support the NAT GAS Act of 2009 (H.R. 1835)
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2009

The NAT GAS Act:
• Gets more natural gas vehicles (NGVs) on the road faster by extending several tax credits (alternative fuel credit for natural gas, natural gas fueled vehicle credit, and the natural gas vehicle refueling property credit)

• Balances the cost of NGVs on the front end through tax credits for the incremental costs and allows the credits to count against the AMT provisions and be transferable.

• Supports infrastructure investments through tax credits for building refueling stations.

• Sets government as the example requiring that at least 50 percent of new vehicles purchased for government fleets be capable of operating on natural gas.

Natural Gas is Clean, Abundant, and Domestic
Across the board, NGVs achieve some of the cleanest levels of emissions on the road today:

• We import almost 70% of our oil from foreign countries yet natural gas is an abundant and domestic natural resource – 98% of the natural gas used in the United States is from North America.

• Newly available technology has given us access to natural gas from shale, extending proven US natural gas reserves to nearly 120 years at current consumption levels.

• Natural gas is available on nearly every street in America through a network of 1.5 million miles of distribution pipelines across the country.

• AT&T recently announced plans to purchase 8,000 American made natural gas vans. With the incentives included in H.R. 1835, more business can be encouraged to make similar investments.

• According to the EPA, cars running on natural gas cut overall toxic emissions by 93 -95%.

Please contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 1835.

Boone on the issue: “America’s national and economic security depends on moving off foreign oil as quickly as possible. Natural gas is the cleanest, most abundant, most economical domestic fuel to replace imported diesel. The U.S. has enough natural gas reserves to last us more than 118 years – we should turn to it as an immediate replacement for foreign oil in fleets and heavy duty vehicles. A battery can’t move an 18-wheeler-the technology isn’t there yet. Natural gas buys a bridge to the future.”

Comment by Lori Tetrick on April 13, 2009 at 11:03am

Talking Points for Supporting a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) Use these points when contacting Senators John Cornyn & Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Representative Lamar Smith:

The 21st Century Transmission Grid—A National Imperative

o If you've seen the Pickens Plan ads then you know that America has the best wind power in the world.

o In order to harness this power, we need a long-term national commitment to turn the tide against foreign oil and invest in our own natural resources—like wind and solar energy.

o Any discussion of alternatives should begin with the 2007 Department of Energy study showing that building out our wind capacity in the Great Plains - from northern Texas to the Canadian border - would produce 138,000 new jobs in the first year, and more than 3.4 million new jobs over a ten-year period, while also producing as much as 20 percent of our needed electricity.

o Building out solar energy in the Southwest from western Texas to California would add to the boom of new jobs and provide more of our growing electrical needs - doing so through economically viable, clean, renewable sources.

o To move that electricity from where it is being produced to where it is needed will require an upgrade to our national electric grid. A 21st century grid which will, as technology continues to develop, deliver power where it is needed, when it is needed, in the direction it is needed will be the modern equivalent of building the Interstate Highway System in the 1950's.

o Fortunately, there’s legislation to begin the process of building a 21st century transmission grid. Senators Dorgan, Reid and Voinovich have all proposed legislation to help build this critical grid and we applaud them for their efforts.

o Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico has proposed a bill in the U.S. Senate that would require electric utilities to get electricity from sources like wind and solar power. This is known as a national renewable electricity standard, or RES for short. Senator Bingaman has also proposed legislation to enable new transmission lines to deliver wind and solar power to users.

o Please call your Members of Congress and ask them to support Senator Bingaman’s bill enacting a national renewable electricity standard, or RES, and the Reid, Dorgan and Voinovich bills enabling transmission lines to allow us to benefit from wind and solar energy.

Comment by Lori Tetrick on April 13, 2009 at 10:58am

Talking Points for NAT GAS Act of 2009 (H.R. 1835)
Use these points when contacting Senators John Cornyn & Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Representative Lamar Smith:
The NAT GAS Act:
• Gets more natural gas vehicles (NGVs) on the road faster by extending several tax credits (alternative fuel credit for natural gas, natural gas fueled vehicle credit, and the natural gas vehicle refueling property credit)

• Balances the cost of NGVs on the front end through tax credits for the incremental costs and allows the credits to count against the AMT provisions and be transferable.

• Supports infrastructure investments through tax credits for building refueling stations.

• Sets government as the example requiring that at least 50 percent of new vehicles purchased for government fleets be capable of operating on natural gas.

Natural Gas is Clean, Abundant, and Domestic
Across the board, NGVs achieve some of the cleanest levels of emissions on the road today:

• We import almost 70% of our oil from foreign countries yet natural gas is an abundant and domestic natural resource – 98% of the natural gas used in the United States is from North America.

• Newly available technology has given us access to natural gas from shale, extending proven US natural gas reserves to nearly 120 years at current consumption levels.

• Natural gas is available on nearly every street in America through a network of 1.5 million miles of distribution pipelines across the country.

• AT&T recently announced plans to purchase 8,000 American made natural gas vans. With the incentives included in H.R. 1835, more business can be encouraged to make similar investments.

According to the EPA, cars running on natural gas cut overall toxic emissions by 93 -95%.

Boone on the issue: “America’s national and economic security depends on moving off foreign oil as quickly as possible. Natural gas is the cleanest, most abundant, most economical domestic fuel to replace imported diesel. The U.S. has enough natural gas reserves to last us more than 118 years – we should turn to it as an immediate replacement for foreign oil in fleets and heavy duty vehicles. A battery can’t move an 18-wheeler-the technology isn’t there yet. Natural gas buys a bridge to the future.”

Comment by Geoff Bailey on April 13, 2009 at 9:56am

Great article Lori! Thanks for sharing.

Geoff

Comment by Steven E Collier on April 13, 2009 at 6:41am

Good info, Lori!

Comment by Lori Tetrick on April 13, 2009 at 6:09am

Texas is wind king, but Iowa breezes past California
By Dirk Lammers - Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Texas continues to blow away the competition, but Iowa can now generate more wind power than California, according to a new industry report to be released Monday.

The Lone Star state's 7,118 megawatts dwarfs Iowa's 2,791 megawatts and California's 2,517 megawatts, but wind power has grown into a key part of the energy infrastructure in Minnesota and Iowa, where each state generates more than 7 percent of their electricity from turbines, the American Wind Energy Association study said.

States are trying to lure wind energy companies and the jobs that come with them, especially with new federal requirements that will require more power from alternative sources in coming years.

While jobs in the wind industry jumped by 70 percent to 85,000 last year, the association's chief executive warned that more must be done to prevent the industry from stalling.

"We need the right policies in place for our industry to maintain its momentum," said Denise Bode in a release.

The passage of a national Renewable Electricity Standard that would require utilities to generate a quarter of their electricity from renewable energy by 2025 is vital to long-term growth, said Bode.

Global investment in alternative energy was cut in half during the first quarter of 2009, according to one study. Billions in investments have vanished with the recession.

Shares in wind, solar and geothermal companies took a pummeling from investors this year. Investments in companies devoted solely to clean energy fell to about $100 million from $2.1 billion, according to New Energy Finance, an industry-research firm.

Still, 2008 was a big year for the industry.

U.S. wind farms, with a combined capacity of 25,300 megawatts at the end of last year, should be able to generate some 73 billion kilowatt hours of power in 2009, enough to serve nearly 7 million homes, the association said.

The association estimates that 10 new manufacturing facilities started up in 2008, while 17 were expanded and 30 new plants were announced.

Indiana added its first utility-scale wind project. Michigan, Utah, New Hampshire and Wisconsin grew at the fastest clip.

Still, big wind power states added the most capacity by far, led by Texas with 2671.3 new megawatts and Iowa with 1599.8 megawatts. Minnesota, Kansas and New York added between 400 and 455 megawatts each.

FPL Group Inc. subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources continues to dominate the landscape with ownership of about 25 percent of the total installed U.S. wind projects, totaling 6,290 megawatts. Iberdrola Renewables, MidAmerican Energy and Horizon-Energia de Portugal combine for the next 25 percent.

GE Energy installed the most turbines in 2008, accounting for 43 percent of new capacity. Vestas, 13 percent; Siemens and Suzlon, 9 percent each; and Gamesa, 7 percent, rounded out the Top 5.

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