The “Pickens Plan” Is More About Enriching T. Boone Pickens Than Saving The Environment

• August 14, 2008

And enriching Nancy Pelosi too, as it turns out:

TV commercials touting a new clean energy strategy and an environmental ballot measure in California have one thing in common: If they succeed, they’ll make investors – from “big oil” to the U.S. Capitol – a lot of money.
The ads champion Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens’ “Pickens Plan” to move the U.S. from foreign oil dependence to domestically produced wind power and natural gas fuel for automobiles. The plan is touted as a cleaner, more eco-friendly alternative to our current reliance on coal power and gasoline. . . .
Not surprisingly, the nation’s largest provider of natural gas for transportation, Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, or CLNE, has a great deal to gain from the adoption of Pickens’ fuel strategy . . .

CLNE, however, was formerly known as Pickens Fuel after its primary investor, T. Boone Pickens.
While Pickens touts a plan in the name of environmentalism that will also line his company’s pockets, a #dontgo investigation has revealed that another environmental champion and backer of Proposition 10 has also invested in CLNE: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

A friend and I were recently discussing the “Pikens Plan” and the claim by T. Boone himself (in the television ads for the plan) that his plan requires no government support. The truth is that wind energy is heavily subsidized by the government through a production tax credit and the Pickens Plan does nothing to change that, which means that Pickens himself is lying. Blatantly.
Wind energy has a lot of problems. It’s inconsistent (during peak times of consumption, when the weather is really hot or cold, there tends to not be a lot of wind) and thus has to be backed up by power plants that can provide enough electricity to meet peak demand lest power consumers face blackouts. Which is needlessly redundant. It’s also terribly expensive to produce, and would not be competitive with other sources of electricity without the big government subsidies.
There’s also a problem with powering our nations hundreds of millions of vehicles with natural gas. If that happens, what happens to all the people who use natural gas to heat their homes? And heat their water? And power their electric plants? Do their natural gas bills go through the roof as vehicles start to compete for access to the gas? And what about the fact that natural gas has already been freely available to the American public for their vehicles for at least a decade now? I know that in my home town there’s a natural gas filling station for vehicles, as well as shops that will convert your vehicle to natural gas. I’m sure that if Americans checked most of them would have access to similar resources in their communities.
So why aren’t more people utilizing them? Because gas is cheaper and easier to use.
But Pickens sells natural gas and wants us to use it. Because it makes him and his cronies rich.

Tags: Asshats, Domestic Issues, North Dakota News, Politics

http://Array Wing Chun Geologist

Several years ago, I was part of a field trip that took a bunch of students into the mountains. The trip used 4 vehicles, 2 of which were powered by natural gas.

One of the natural gas vehicles ran out of fuel less than 80 miles after it had been refilled. That left me and another faculty member stranded at the side of the freeway with a bunch of middle school kids. I’d guess that using gasoline, that van would have a range of 250 miles, but using CNG, the range was less than 80.

I’ve driven other CNG vehicles, and never found any of them to have reliable performance. I’ve experienced underpowered CNG vehicles, as well as vehicles whose power fluctuated from one minute to the next. Plus I seem to recall all kinds of interesting noises.

Maybe the problems with these vehicles were due to mistakes made by the fleet mechanics, but I’ve not been satisfied with natural gas as an automotive fuel.
v racer

Best approach is to drill, build nuke plants, go all out to develop alternative fuel and power sources.
robert108

Thanks for getting this one on the front page, Rob. Had this on the Reader Blogs a few days ago.
studakota

Didn’t we all notice the scene from the movie “there will be blood” where the central character abandons his son on a train since the son was, apparently, a hindrance to his becoming wealthy in the oil business. Don’t believe that scene was not put there for a reason. I’m actually looking forward to many more scenes as this when the definitive story of the NBA is portrayed on the screen in coming years. Shucks they could devote one half the movie to Shawn Kemp and his lack of parenting skills. Perhaps not.. Well then perhaps a shot of the difference in the community efforts of the Iowa flood victims and the LA. flood victims would suffice.
Barbara

WELL SAID CWG!!!! i mean, come on- before a bold story like the one above is made, it is truly important to have all the facts down. I suggest those interested in fixing our energy crisis ( which should be everyone!) go to push.pickensplan.com to get the real scoop on the plan, and what it will take to make it happen…which is simply the support the of the American people!
robert108

Rob: Almost every statement TBoone makes in that commercial is untrue; no problem there. What pp is trying to do, I think, is to trap me with one of his basic premises, which is that if someone says something untrue, but doesn’t know it, they aren’t lying.

In fact, spreading untruth is damaging, so to me, it doesn’t matter. When a person makes a declarative statement that they don’t know is true, while trying to convince others that it is true, is a lie if the statement is false.
Beyond that, trying to claim that TBoone doesn’t know economics is ridiculous on its face. He’s trying to use public money, and this bullshit about “alternative energy” to fool the public, for his and Nancy’s personal benefit.
Simple as that. In order to fleece the taxpayers, he has to lie about not only the nature of the problem, but the actual results of his “solution”.
He lied.
CWG

Well, we now know why this is called the sayanythingblog — because fact and fiction are blended into some outrageous, irresponsible conspiracy theories. There is a significant absence of reliable information — more unfounded opinions than fact-based commentary. The mere suggestions that the lights would go out every time the wind stops blowing or when the weather changes are uneducated, almost illiterate, observations. The comment that there won’t be adequate natural gas to heat water borders on the insanity. As a Pickens Plan supporter, I would suggest that you do some research about the plan and then, if you still find fault with the proposal, make your legitimate and constructive criticisms. Maybe start the research by checking out a story in USA TODAY — not a “sayanything” publication — a couple of weeks ago indicating that even more abundant natural gas supplies have been discovered, which makes the Pickens Plan approach even more attractive, practical and workable. Also, you might consider actually looking at the Pickens Plan. There’s no suggestion that wind energy can be sustained on every square inch of soil in the U. S. That’s why the plan envisions developing “wind corridors” — primarily in the central region of the country — where wind energy is most feasible. This would alleviate the demand for natural gas, freeing it for transportation purposes. Being illuminated on the Pickens Plan — accurately — would certainly be preferable to being misinformed and left in the literate darkness concerning the nation’s future energy options.
robert108

Nancy and TBoone are in line for five billion in fed money and another five billion in CA money for this boondoggle. Follow the money when you want to find the corruption.
robert108

I can’t blame T Boone for turning a buck but I can blame Pelosi for using her political clout to profit at the expense of the tax payer.

I blame TBoone for lying to the American public; almost every statement in his advertisement is a lie. He’s as bad as a leftie in that regard.
robert108

Wing: Like ethanol, natural gas has less energy per unit than gasoline, which explains your experience. Natural gas is useful for stationary applications where it is used to generate heat, but for transportation, gas and diesel are far superior to anything else we have.
Mickey

I can’t blame T Boone for turning a buck but I can blame Pelosi for using her political clout to profit at the expense of the tax payer.

scum bag.
Spartacus

That’s why the plan envisions developing “wind corridors” — primarily in the central region of the country–where wind energy is most feasible.

There are 2 huge “wind corridors”, one located off each coast of this country. There were plans to use them in the manner that T-Bone has in mind, but alas, Ted Kennedy threw his weight around when he found that one area was in his back yard (or front yard) and might interfere with his weekend sailing adventures.

If wind turbines off the coasts are unacceptable to coastal Libs, why are they suddenly acceptable in the central region of the country? I get it, their okay as long as they’re NIMBY.
robert108

108: Does Pickins believe he is lying?

A very interesting question, I guess. What’s your answer?

I’ll be glad to share mine after I hear yours.
pparets

108: read the #Don’t Go Movement piece yesterday.

While Pelosi’s interest in getting rich from sale of privately owned water is an issue, we come back to my original question. Do you think Pickins knows he is lying?

And, no, I am not trying to trap you.
pparets

108: Does Pickins believe he is lying?
pparets

108: As I said to you on another thread this week:

I don’t need victories.

I don’t gloat.

and, as i said above, I don’t trap.

I would like to know if you think that Pickins believes he is lying?
robert108

I would like to know if you think that Pickins believes he is lying?

Asked and answered, several times already.

If I was wrong about the significance of your emphasis of the word “believes”, I apologize.

Again: whether he “believes” it or not, he’s lying. He may very well “believe” that his lies are justified by the potential rewards, monetarily and politically of what he’s doing, but that doesn’t mean anything he says is true.
Whether he “believes” it or not, he is damaging America with his self-serving lies.
pparets

108: I could say “I asked you first”, but here it is.

No, I don’t think he’s lying.

I think Pickins is a shrewd and successful oil-man, but a rocket scientist he ain’t.

I think he believes all that wind-mill crap and hopes to make a killing from it.
robert108

I think he believes all that wind-mill crap and hopes to make a killing from it.

Do some research:

http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/nancy_pelosi_invests_in_energy_scheme_and_water_grab_by_t_boone_pickens/

It’s a start.
robert108

Do you think Pickins knows he is lying?

Asked and answered. An achiever like TBoone knows exactly what he’s doing, and obviously feels justified in doing it. The lure of ten billion in taxpayer money, plus the political influence of Nancy, added to what he can extract from gullible private individuals because of his name, has led him to lie to the American public.
As a businessman, had someone like Al Gore given me billions worth of free publicity about a subject(global warming) that has absolutely no need of a solution(and so has no consequences that will ever happen) would be pretty tempting, as well.
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/sparkiearbuckle sayanything-81

Didn’t we all notice the scene from the movie “there will be blood” where the central character abandons his son on a train since the son was, apparently, a hindrance to his becoming wealthy in the oil business.

Not me. I’ve never even heard of that film.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

Pickens’ commercials say his plan won’t involve support from the government.

Of course, wind energy has heavy government subsidy. Pickens’ plan doesn’t change.

Pickens isn’t stupid. He has to know that. So he’s lying.

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The “Pickens Plan” Is More About Enriching T. Boone Pickens Than Saving The Environment

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