Organizers and Leaders: Start Here

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Comment by Bob Shultis on November 24, 2009 at 8:53pm

Hi MIssy.

First off, my best wishes to MS. Solon. I'll save the link and wish her the same myself.

Second, I haven't read Plan B 4.0 but certainly will. I read Plan B 3.0 and it was fantastic, and very inspirational.

Third (now the rant)- I am becoming extremely disillusioned with our congress- Republicans, even some Democrats. I see it from the inside of the alternative energy industry- the US is falling behind many countries, particularly European nations, but also China, soon India. If we don't change fast we will be a second rate economic power. Sure, we may have more bombs and better delivery systems, but that is not the way to success in the 21st Century. Well over 50% of the wind turbines installed in the US last year were manufactured by foreign companies. Not because those people are any smarter or harder working than our domestic manufacturers. Rather, they are much better supported and subsidized by their governments (Denmark, Spain, India, China, etc.). Why is a 20% (minimum) national RES by 2020 even a debatable issue in this country? We have the natural resources, we have the technology, we have the manufacturing base, we have the transportation infrastructure, all of it. The payback, in economic welfare, jobs, national security, balance of trade, energy independence, mitigation of potential climate change and certain global pollution, is all there. It is a slam dunk. All that is in the way of positive change is a congress whose members are accepting huge sums of money from Big Oil, Big Coal, on and on. Why have we been bogged down with health care reform (which should have happened years ago)- same reason.

Idealistically I'd like to throw the whole bunch (with some exceptions) out of office and start over. Realistically that is not possible of course. So, rather than waste our time lobbying Representatives and Senators who have no intention of giving us anything more than token acknowledgement, would it be better for us to focus our efforts on target campaigns, where either a PP supporter is up for re-election, or a PP supporter is challenging an incumbent- sort of like what Move-On.Org does?

I love the sharing of information on PP, however, I'm not sure a lot of it directly impacts the purpose of our organization. Discussions of various alternative energy technologies, and ways to profit from them, are fascinating, but do they really help to accomplish our goals? Maybe so. But until we get a Congress in place that will aggressively support this administration's initiatives and push for real change, all of our debate is largely wasted, I'm afraid.

I think our strategy should be, first, pin down your elected officials- do they support alternative energy (basically anything but oil, coal, possibly nuclear at this point)? If yes, to what extent do they support alternatives? If no, why not? If they admit to not supporting alternatives, we need to find a way to remove them from office.

Granted, there are certain parts of our country where this argument is out of touch- namely states in which oil or coal generates many jobs and considerable revenue. Still, taking the bigger picture into focus, our national welfare rests on our ability to change, as many European countries have already done. Make no mistake, no matter what happened 40, 50, 60 years ago, they are the leaders now, and the US needs to stand up and take notice.

Best regards,
Bob Shultis
State Leader, Iowa

Comment by Missy Steichen on November 24, 2009 at 7:36pm

MN District 7 State Legislator, Yvonne Prettner Solon, a Pickens Plan Pledge signer, who, after 10 years cancer free, has recently had a recurrance of breast cancer. If you could, please send your best wishes, and thank' s for signing the Pickens Pledge! You can find her on facebook or on the MN Senate website.
I am wishing the best & sending positive vibes her way for a speedy & full recovery!

Missy :-)

Comment by Wayne J.R. Bowser, LEED AP on November 23, 2009 at 9:11am

Check out the EVENTS PAGE for the next instalment of The Green Revolution Show, where we are featuring the Great State of Ohio and welcoming ALL Pickens Plan members to join in on the conversation!

Comment by Missy Steichen on November 22, 2009 at 1:25pm

Perfectly in line with the Pickens Plan, Les Brown's new book Plan B 4.0 is available free to download in PDF. Buy a few copies and send them to your elected officials, along with a PP banner!


Missy :-)

Comment by J Jay Pirko on November 22, 2009 at 8:35am

NEO Clean Energy Network Meeting in Trumbull County
Tuesday, November 24, 2009, from 7-8:30 p.m.

Energy Efficiency's Role in Green Building

Michael Hein and Jason Clark of The Green Building Pros are the main speakers for a Clean Energy Network Meeting in Trumbull County on Tuesday, November 24, 2009, from 7-8:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in Room 117 of the Kent State University Trumbull Campus Technology Building. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Hein and Clark will discuss "Energy Efficiency's Role in Green Building" and will deal with topics such as what makes a building "green," why energy efficiency is important to homeowners and small business owners, and energy audits. To make existing buildings more energy efficient, an energy audit is the place to start. The speakers will explain what is involved in an energy audit and the reports produced to help determine the steps needed to reduce energy use while maintaining a comfortable and healthy building. A question/answer session will follow the presentation. Also, attendees will discuss future meeting topics.

The Green Building Pros (GBP) is a collaboration of energy efficiency and sustainability experts dedicated to bringing their expertise to the marketplace in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The staff at GBP has decades of experience in the construction industry and hold advanced degrees and certifications in sustainability and green building. This experience and education – coupled with memberships and accreditation by leading organizations in green building and energy efficiency organizations such as the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), and the Building Performance Institute (BPI) – position GBP to be a leader in the growing green building market. GBP is on the Web at http://thegreenbuildingpros.com/.

Clean Energy Network in Trumbull County is a group dedicated to increasing awareness in sustainability, green building and renewable energy technologies by bringing together like-minded people in the area. The Clean Energy Network in Trumbull County is a regional affiliate of Green Energy Ohio.

For more information about the Clean Energy Network and the Trumbull County meeting, contact Dave Ambrose at 330-647-3666 or dambrose1@neo.rr.com.

Green Energy Ohio is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally and economically sustainable energy policies and practices in Ohio. GEO is the Ohio Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society. GEO promotes renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass and low-impact hydro) statewide by acting as a clearinghouse to inform Ohioans on sustainable energy. The GEO

Comment by Sean Kinney on November 21, 2009 at 6:37pm

FYI - Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) adopts rules for Ohio’s alternative energy portfolio standard.

"By 2025, at least 25 percent of electricity sold in the state oh Ohio by electric distribution utilities and electric services companies must be generated from alternative energy resources. At least half of this energy must come from renewable energy resources, including wind, biomass, hydro and fuel cell, and a minimum of one-half percent must come directly from solar resources. One half of these renewable energy facilities must be located in Ohio."

More at http://unhub.com/GBaI

Comment by John Wesley Nobles on November 20, 2009 at 8:20am

Please join Veronica Gold, Ohio State Leader and Sean Kinney, District Leader, OH-12 on The Green Revolution Show next Wednesday, 11/25/09, 2 pm eastern, 11 am pacific. Ohio Congressional Cosponsor's of HR 1835 have been invited to participate. Sean will also discuss some of his marketing strategies. Listening and call in number is 347-637-3101, or go to your computer. Your telephone participation is always appreciated by our guest. You make the difference!

Comment by Robert Schultz on November 19, 2009 at 10:57am

www.41WorldUSA.com

Did they send anyone else here a message? Why did Pickens Plan ban them in the first place? They were one of his biggest supporters.

Comment by William Engwer on November 19, 2009 at 2:54am

I may be behind the curve here, but now that the FuelMaker is returning to production, there are several possible ways to ease the financial outlay that consumers interested in natural gas vehicles and home re-fueling see as a difficulty. Please see the discussion at http://push.pickensplan.com/group/exploitexistinginfrastructure. William Engwer

Comment by Richard Barnard on November 18, 2009 at 8:04pm

Your legislatures do read the PP mail.

Richard Barnard

November 18, 2009

Dear Mr. Barnard:

Thank you for contacting my office in support of H.R. 1835, the NAT GAS Act. I agree with you that our nation can no longer be reliant on oil to meet our transportation needs. I also agree with you that natural gas can play a role as a transitional fuel while we develop cleaner fuels and methods of transportation.

I support some provisions of H.R. 1835, such as encouraging the federal government to purchase vehicles that can run on natural gas. However, I don't think providing large tax credits for purchasing natural gas powered vehicles is the best way to incentivize purchase of natural gas vehicles or other highly efficient vehicles. The real problem is the volatility in the price of conventional gasoline. When conventional gasoline prices are high, consumers will demand alternatives, such better mass transit, more efficient cars, and natural gas vehicles. We saw this happen last summer when gasoline prices were over $4. When the price comes down, however, the demand dries up. With no guarantee or even general idea of what gasoline prices will be in the future, there is no consumer demand for alternatives and no incentive for businesses to invest in new technologies. The answer is to stabilize gasoline prices and steadily increase them through the use of a gas or a carbon tax. If both consumers and businesses know that the price of gasoline will continue to rise, behavior will change and consumers will both demand more clean and efficient transportation and fuel choices and will have more choices made available to them. I've proposed legislation, H.R. 594, the Save Our Climate Act, that would impose a carbon tax with the goal of spurring innovation and combating global warming.

Natural gas vehicles do have a role to play in transforming our energy policy. I appreciate hearing from you and I will keep your thoughts in mind if the NAT GAS Act comes up for a vote.

Sincerely,
Pete Stark
Member of Congress

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