Saturday, November 1, 2008

Where They Stand: Energy and the Truth on Energy?



Where They Stand: Energy and the Truth on Energy?

Where They Stand: Energy and the Truth on Energy?
Posted by James Everitt on November 1, 2008 at 8:57am in U.S. Energy Policy View Discussions Join Me on Pickens Attachments: API_truth_primer22.pdf, 1.5 MB pickens_pledge.pdf, 92 KB




We Are in a Crisis

Our dependence on foreign oil forms the intersection of the three most critical issues America currently faces: the economy, the environment and our national security.

There is a Solution

America is blessed with the world's greatest wind power corridor and abundant reserves of clean natural gas.

The Pickens Plan will utilize these tremendous resources to build a bridge to the future — a blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestic energy alternatives and buying time for us to develop even greater new technologies.

The Plan calls for building new wind generation facilities that will produce 20% of our nation's electricity and allow us to use natural gas as a transportation fuel. The combination of these domestic energies can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports. And we can do it all in 10 years.
We Can Bring Change

On January 20th, 2009, a new President will take office. We’re organizing behind the Pickens Plan now to ensure our voices will be heard by the next administration. Together we can raise a call for change and set a new course for America’s energy future in the first hundred days of the new presidency — breaking the hammerlock of foreign oil and building a new domestic energy future for America with a focus on sustainability.

You can start changing America's future today by supporting the Pickens Plan. Join now.

The Man with the Plan

T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman, BP Capital Management, is principally responsible for the formulation of the energy futures investment strategy of the BP Capital Commodity Fund and the BP Capital Equity Fund. With more than $4 billion under management, BP Capital manages one of the nation’s most successful energy-oriented investment funds. Pickens frequently utilizes his wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry in the evaluation of potential equity investments and energy sector themes. He has not been shy in predicting oil and gas prices and — more often than not — has been uncannily accurate.
Pickens is also aggressively pursuing a wide range of other business interests, from water marketing and ranch development initiatives to Clean Energy, a company he founded and is the largest shareholder. Through Mesa Water, Pickens is the largest private holder of permitted groundwater rights in the United States. Clean Energy is advancing the use of natural gas as a cleaner-burning and more cost-effective transportation fuel alternative to gasoline and diesel.

Boone grew up in Holdenville, a small eastern Oklahoma town. His father was in the oil business, and his mother ran the Office of Price Administration during World War II, rationing gasoline and other goods for four counties. Boone attributes much of his success to his mother and father.

Boone graduated as a geologist from Oklahoma State University in 1951 and started work with Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. After three and a half years, he struck out on his own as an independent geologist. Pickens was founder of Mesa Petroleum in its various forms beginning in 1956. Mr. Pickens’ career at Mesa spanned four decades. Under his leadership, Mesa grew to become one of the largest and most well known independent exploration and production companies in the United States; Mesa produced more than 3 trillion cubic feet of gas and 150 million barrels of oil from 1964 to 1996.

From its inception, Mesa was at the forefront of change and innovation. Mesa's fitness program is a good example. Boone has long understood the benefits of physical fitness. Mesa's fitness program has become a model for corporate America, and Mesa was the first company to be accredited by the Institute for Aerobics Research.

Throughout his professional life, Pickens has been a generous philanthropist, giving away almost one half of a billion dollars. In 2006, he contributed $175 million to a wide range of causes and the formation of the T. Boone Pickens Foundation. He has appeared multiple times on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of top U.S. philanthropists. The T. Boone Pickens Foundation is improving lives through grants supporting educational programs, medical research, athletics and corporate wellness, at-risk youth, the entrepreneurial process, and conservation and wildlife initiatives.

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. selected Pickens as a recipient of the 2006 Horatio Alger Award, which epitomizes those who overcome adversity and humble beginnings to achieve success. It is but one of many honors awarded to Pickens for his achievements, including Trader Monthly’s 2006 Trader of the Year award, the Texas Business Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Pickens lives in Dallas and is married to Madeleine Ann Pickens. He has five children and 12 grandchildren.

IMPORTANT, I need your help, James Everitt. Can you help me resolve my friends concerns about the Pickens Plan and T. Boone Pickens resolve to do what he says he's going to do to help create a viable energy independence program over the next 10 years?

On Oct 31, 2008, at 3:06 PM,
James Everitt wrote:Thanks, for the article: Pickens' plan is bold — too bad it won't work "I do agree with the article, but you do have to give T. Boone Pickens credit for putting Energy Independence on the front burner by getting congress, the candidates, and public awareness at it's highest peak since the oil embargo of the 70's!" Join me at Pickens and let's help T. Boone Pickens solve our Energy Independence! Let me make it clear "I support T. Boone Pickens and the Pickens Plan!"

Where They Stand: Energy


Posted: 10/31/08

John McCain

John McCain's energy platform is largely based around his willingless to expand domestic oil drilling and production.His plan includes increased drilling coupled with investing in clean, alternative sources of energy.McCain has announced his plan to commit a $5,000 tax credit to every consumer who purchases a zero carbon emission car.The Arizona Senator has also proposed a $300 million prize to improve battery technology for the full commercial development of plug-in hybrid and electric automobiles.He has declared the need to eliminate subsidies and tariffs that prevent the development of market-based solutions that would provide the United States with better options for alternative fuels. McCain has also pledged $2 billion annually to the advancement of clean coal technologies.

Barack Obama

Obama's plan to create five million new "green" jobs would depend upon a ten year, $150 billion investment to "catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future."Obama has pushed for one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015 and a target of 10 percent of all household electricity originating from renewable sources by 2012.He has also stressed the importance of providing short-term relief, offering to enact a Windfall Profits Tax that would provide a $1,000 energy rebate to American families.Obama has even announced a plan to eliminate our current imports from Venezuela and the Middle East within ten years. Obama proposes a $7,000 tax credit for purchasing advanced vehicles.

Robert Barr

On energy, Bob Barr's plan again relies on free market principles and less government intervention.Barr wants to eliminate all restrictions that slow energy production, as well as "special privileges" for alternative fuels like ethanol.He says more government involvement, whether in the form of restrictions or subsidies, ends up hurting consumers in the long run.According to his Web page, he also wants to allow drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf to "assure more adequate and consistent supplies," and help lower the cost for consumers.While in Congress, Barr voted in favor of drilling and development in ANWR. He also voted against raising corporate average fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and offering incentives for manufacturing alternative fuel vehicles.Barr co-sponsored a bill that would have repealed an increase in the federal gas tax.In the campaign, he has turned up the heat on John McCain, saying that he hasn't done enough to promote more domestic drilling.As early as July, on the "Glenn Beck show" Barr called global warming a "myth" being used by "environmental folks" and "internationalists."Though Barr's Web page says scientists haven't yet made "definitive judgments" on the issue of climate change, he still advocates lowering carbon emissions through a process led by the private sector rather than the government.

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader promotes an energy policy that would stop subsidizing oil, coal and nuclear interests.His plan invests in fuel-efficient automobiles, and renewable energy such as wind and solar.Nader envisions a "new clean energy paradigm" that would create more jobs, better efficiency and security, and more protection for the environment.According to his Web page, he applauds a ten-point plan by the "Apollo Alliance," which calls for a $313.72 billion federal investment in energy independence in a ten-year period.While calling on the United States to take the lead in technological innovation, the plan directs energy consumption away from fossil fuels towards domestic renewable energy markets.The points of the plan include investing in more efficient factories, encouraging "green buildings," modernizing electrical infrastructure, expanding renewable energy development, improving transportation options and promoting advanced technology and hybrid cars.Through tax revenues and energy cost savings, the plan will supposedly pay for itself.It is predicted that the overall economy will see an "increase of $1.4 trillion dollars in new Gross Domestic Product."Nader is also in favor of adopting a carbon pollution tax.

Cynthia McKinney

According to McKinney, the United States can "no longer hide its truculence under the mask of weather fluctuations or unclear science." She believes that as islands are disappearing and indigenous ways of life are threatened, the world is at risk if the United States "continues to do nothing."Therefore, she proposes that a drastic cut in emissions is necessary and can "be accomplished by using the tax code to incentivize behavior."According to McKinney, the United States could declare itself carbon and nuclear free as the next step is "to create the political will to change course."

Charles Baldwin

According to Baldwin, there is no reason for the United States to be dependent on OPEC. He believes there is enough gas and oil present under the soil of Alaska, North and South Dakota and the Gulf of Mexico "to meet the energy needs of the United States for the next 150 to 200 years."Baldwin also believes there is no reason for gasoline to cost more than $1.50 a gallon while the country is less dependent on foreign sources of oil.

Read the Pickens Plan Pledge below and then tell your Member of Congress to join with T. Boone Pickens and his army of supporters in calling for an Energy Independence Plan to be enacted within the first 100 days of the new administration.



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