T. Boone Pickensâ€™ energy plan

kenmabmcc

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/07/21/daily25.html

Quote:

Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens told lawmakers that a switch to American-produced energy resources within the next 10 years is necessary to end the nationâ€™s crippling $700 billion dependence on foreign oil.

Pickens, who revealed his alternative energy plan earlier this month, told the U.S. Senate Homeland and Security and Government Affairs Committee on Tuesday that the United States should be able to produce 22 percent of its electrical energy needs using wind-powered electricity, based on Department of Energy estimates.

Enter, from stage right, a green oily... Laughing

http://www.pickensplan.com/

Quote:

America is in a hole and it's getting deeper every day. We import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war.

I've been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil.

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6185

I thought I put a reply in this topic yesterday, but it's not here.

Anyway, even though he's the man with the money who was behind the Swift Boat attacks against John Kerry, I agree with him on this.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

I replied, to, I thought. I also agree with his ideas, and would like to see more renewable sources.

However, he's overly optimistic on what can be done. I work in the government, and am taking a class right now about acquisition, one part of which is Environmental Impact. There's no way we're going to put up massive wind or solar farms in 10 years - it'll take that long just to get through the environmental impact studies, and the inevitable lawsuits. We learned this week about a group that wanted to put up a stop sign in the middle of the desert, and were told they'd have to perform a full environmental study even for that!

kenmabmcc

I am sure that if environmental impact studies are going to delay renewable sources of energy,
and if the government sees an urgent requirement,
some form of fast track legislation could be passed.

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

No, there won't be a fast track. First, the environmentalists will sue. That is a guarantee, and will slow things down. No matter how much this will save the environment in the long run, it will end up affecting some critters (also a guarantee for something on this scale) and that will result in law suits. Second, even a fast environmental impact study for a small project takes 6-18 months from what I've been told. Something this massive will take much longer, more in the range of 2+ years. I wish that weren't so, because on first blush this sounds good, but it's not something that can be changed.

The only way to fast track this would be to repeal the current environmental laws (like NEPA) and to create new law preventing law suits for this project. neither of those are going to happen.

kenmabmcc

I am sure you are right at this time.

But stranger things have been known to happen.

Look at the Patriot Act and the freedoms that US citizens have lost through that act.

Wink

xavierx · Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 3871

You may be right - when Congress over-reacts, bad laws get passed. While I agree with the principles of the Patriot Act, Congress acted too fast and parts of it were bad. If they do the same here, and pass bad laws to allow this to go though faster, then they'll be opening the door to other programs getting fast tracked, and eventually really bad things might happen. I hope we're both wrong!