Comments on: T. Boone Pickens: A man with an energy plan

Wind power can supply 20 percent of the U.S.' electricity in 10 years, freeing up natural gas to fuel cars and reduce dependence on oil, says billionaire oilman Pickens.

[RetroBurn1970]

Another plan better left to the trash bin. Besides an ugly eyesore and bird deaths, wind will never be a stable platform for energy. If it were, it wouldn't need subsidies.

[Dave543]

Eyesore and bird deaths? You should be more concerned about getting food on your table when the oil starts to run out.

[kirkules]

Hmmm, we've been using Oil for over a hundred years here in the USA and it is well known that Big Oil is getting billions a year in subsidies. That doesn't include what it costs the military to protect shipping lanes and bring new Oil leases to Iraq or was that democracy . . . .or saving them from their own dictators . . . .or non-existent WMDs. But I digress. . . .
If Big Oil gets subsidies then Big Wind should too.
Eyesore or bird deaths? I'm sorry for the bird deaths and I think we can solve that problem. Frankly towers with propellers on them don't bother me. I've always liked airplanes besides it beats smoke stacks.

[caseybmyers]

We have $4.00 plus gas and you are worried about stupid birds that might fly into the blades? People hit birds all the time with their cars, I guess we shouldnt have them either. You liberals are about as smart as the birds that fly into moving wind blades.

[e2670]

with thinking like this, we are doomed. Wind and solar for that matter, works, its just that the tech is too expensive until there is enough production to bring cost down, look at computers and big screen tvs, guess they will never make it either.

[gingercurry]

Pickens should give money to Dr. Steven Greer for the work he is doing on Hydroxy Gas Energy Systems, Thermal Exchange motors and Pulsed Motor Generators. "Such technologies - especially those which bypass the need to use an external fuel source such as oil or coal - would have obvious and beneficial effects for humanity. Since these technologies do not require an expensive source of fuel but instead use existing quantum space energy, a revolution in the world?s economic and social order would result." the Orion Project.

[MrPhysics]

"Free energy" is a crock - and Dr. Greer is a kook of the highest level. If any of the stuff actually had any potential - wouldn't he be a multi-billionaire by now?

[jjlweber]

This is a very viable option to start changing our energy infrastructure to a more sustainable platform. T P is on to something, though I do not think this is viable on a large scale, imagine 25% of the country's energy came from these wind farms, this would make us too vulnerable to a terrorist attack. If this gets past the beaurocracy it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

-jjw

www.izzitgreen.com

[franklinstking]

everything is a security risk. give it a break. it's a great idea coming from a man who made billions off of a commodity that should be government controlled.

[Lerianis]

I have to say that I agree with franklinstking. Everything is a security risk: someone could bomb our refineries, someone could bomb our gas stations, someone could bomb our natural gas distribution methods, etc.

You cannot really prevent that. It's going to happen sooner or later, in small amounts or large amounts.

[elbowroom44]

T Boone Pickens: He's the guy who financed the malicious Swift Boat slanders against John Kerry, with Bush's lawyer as his advisor. Recently, he reneged on his public promise to pay $1 million if the charges could be disproved, which Kerry as done. Pickens is a disgustingly dishonest scoundrel and should be given no credibility on anything.

[c|net Reader]

Give it a rest already. Kerry is the liar and the Swift Boaters called him on it. Even were that not the case, Boone's idea isn't bad because you find fault with him personally.

[elbowroom44]

Kerry was a wounded and decorated vet who rescued another wounded soldier, and the guys who slimed him had previously praised his service. Bush in comparison had been AWOL from the Texas natl. guard and Cheney and almost all the other guys in the administration dodged service. Pickens was paid off in govt contracts for his evil slanders. He's a corrupt vicious liar who deserves no trust of any kind.

[tech_crazy]

jjlweber wrote "this would make us too vulnerable to a terrorist attack."

Actually, it would be the exact opposite. A decentralized system would better sustain such attacks versus a centralized power plant.

[WestCoastFun]

You always have to watch the nefarious comments on these posts. The oil companies employ slander firms to post on community blogs as if they are the average citizen when in fact they are purporting the oil company line.

[t26l]

Energy Policy Act of 2005: Coal Subsidies totaled: $8.187 billion

Source: Taxpayers for Common Sense

[jayperk]

>>Ginger Curry RE: Steven Greer.

This Dr. Steven Greer? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_M._Greer

He is a medical doctor. His statements on free energy generation are nonsensical. Though his conspiracy theory stuff and what he learned from his alien abduction are interesting, if you like science fiction.

[Blutoe]

Many birds that die from these electric windmills, most birds fly these airway routes, many are killed now, which bring to mind many more insect to breed.

[franklinstking]

Don't you think that birds are intelligent enough to find their way around them?

[ronart]

If birds die from the extremely slow rotation that these huge windmills turn at... you have to wonder just how stupid they would have to be.

[c|net Reader]

Windmills needn't have large propeller blades. There are various vertical turbine designs, too.

@ronart

Many birds are pretty stupid, but they would have to be ridiculously so to hit a slow moving blade as you described.

[holyhope]

sounds suspiciously like a saudi not wanting thier oil devalued to me.

[flybyenight]

I love how the bird argument always comes up. I consider myself to be an animal loving liberal by to me the bird argument always seems a little short sighted. Nobody every cries over the millions of song birds killed by the savvy hunters we know as the domesticated cat, or the hundred of thousands of birds that fly into sky scrappers. I think the effects of not switching to cleaner energy will be way worse for the eco system as a whole than the nominal number of birds that hit turbine blades.

[calsouth1]

With the price of fossil fuels.....alternative energy shouldn't need subsidies....and since when do subsidies decide what should or should not be done? (Agriculture?) Bird deaths are a crock....and wind works as I have witnessed it for almost two decades.

Pickens may be a jerk yet he made the bucks and occupies a place of success in the business world....so your choice to listen or not.....at least there is some direction here that should not be dismissed out of hand.

[c|net Reader]

Subsidies are frequently used to direct what is done based upon some notion of preference. What do you think the stupid cap and trade system is about?

[vnoah]

Mr Pickens should be praised for being a leader in solving our nations energy crisis - However it is very sad that he is misleading America into believing that we can pull all the natural gas out of the power grid and throw it into vehicles as fast as we can build wind power generation. He also presents our Nations natural gas situation as if we do not import yet we do and are building huge natural gas ports. WE NEED TO DRILL - North Carolina could be a natural gas producer and most visitors would not even know it with todays technology. Buried pipe under the ocean floor leading to inland collection and distribution points would keep our coasts pristine while providing energy we need. Please advocate drilling now and wind power - you are right on getting off middle est oil but the answer has to include all of the untapped US and American Continent oil.

Mr. Pickens, please advocate a balanced solution including all the things we should do as a nation,

[holyhope]

I don't believe it is misleading at all to move the natural gas to liquid gas fillup stations. The amount of money he is considering for this purpose is equitable to the task. The natural gas that is being re-injected in Alaska would go a long way to better our western cities from gasoline suffocation. These things arn't cheap but since exxon is getting out of the service station business, they could move lock stock and barrel to Dubai and leave us alone.

[davidtucson]

Great Vision. I think this is the best plan I've heard to date. The economics of wind make it realistic for a project like this. 10x better that any solar PV initiative. This plan has a real hope of making a dent in our imported oil problem. The missing ingredient is some form of storage or adaptive demand side loads. But our infrastructure can handle a lot of intermittent wind before energy storage becomes a critical issue. Go T. Boone, Go! Thank you!

[Duckitbad]

The economics of wind power? Realistic? Hope? Can you back any of your statement up with source data and a rational analysis? The same goes for his natural gas fix. The nation could spend trillions converting engines and supply chains only to realize what it should have known from the start NOT NEARLY ENOUGH NATURAL GAS TO GO AROUND.

[texmexborderswimmer]

T Boone should give the money he and his corporate raiders stole from employee pension funds they were able to raid due to Reagans policies that were put in place until the Democrat party put a halt to the practice. Thats when T Boone stoped buying up all those Corporations at that p[oint he could no longer get his hands on what he and his crooked friends actualy wanted the employee pension funds. Mr Pickens is the lowest form of human that walks on this planet.

[c|net Reader]

You're not too jaded, are you?

[jeffcam--2008]

What a bunch of babies. Stop complaining. It's pretty friggen simple, not some kind of over the top PHD kind of crap. Picken's plan is better than anything the left has, not that they have any plan except for complaining. 9%, that's the approval rating of congress right now. So we should demand 1) Drill, Costs taxpayers nothing, 2) Alternative energy so the oil drilling can stop eventually. 3) I'm going to shoot a few black birds in my yard this morning so they won't be killed in a wind farm, HA

Pretty simple

[gerrrg]

I'm not against wind power, but I'm against having to create massive, new infrastructure to deliver new energy generation.

Solar is probably the best method of distributed electrical generation that can take advantage of existing grids, and help to offset the effects of warm, sunny days in an effective manner. Even if solar doesn't work in the northern half, these areas can always find some other vernacular energy generation that doesn't require massive new infrastructure. Nuclear is no less problematic in distribution - have you seen the massive power line structures that extend from these places?

Or conserve. There are millions of miles of roads and freeways with light fixtures...why not retrofit existing light fixtures with solar cell covers, batteries and an LED bulb, and solve three of the biggest problems: people stealing copper wire from the distributed energy lines, reduced usage of existing energy capacity, and increases color rendering on the roads, so that you can actually distinguish the difference between orange and white.

[holyhope]

this kind of ditz response is exactly what immobilizes our government. This will NEVER fill our country with the jobs and wealth necessary for the future. In Holland you see beauty in the wind machines, these cretins hoping for a lost past where wind towers were on every farm to just pump water don't seem to exercise these people, like large scale energy production and jobs.

[spothannah]

I live in Kansas. (Lots of wind power potential) Our state has been fighting about two huge Coal fired plans planned for western Kansas. Governor Sibelius opposes, Coal industry want them. Idon't know where the battle stands right now, seems to go back and forth. Anyone know the current status?

[24893username]

Yea, once Sibelius is not picked for VP, the press will loose interest and she will relent.

[TogetherinParis]

The price of alternatives will increase or decrease the worth of wind investments, as they're basically purchased annuities. With oil at record prices with a chance of going higher, wind investments may pay off. It is nice that Mr. Pickens believes he can make some money with his wind investment, but expecting public investments in infrastructure to transmit it will have to be evaluated. The availability of delivery channels is another consideration that capital must consider. Meanwhile, the mountains of the east and far west, most owned by the U.S. government, need windmills first. Bureau of Land Management, the National Forrest Service, and the Parks Service all need to get on the same page and ramp up this production. Three squabbling federal agencies cooperating, you ask? Yeah, fat chance. The government is wasting those windy sites right now, and there's no indication that anything will ever get done. Perhaps it is time to sell the mountain tops back into private hands?

[dargon19888]

Its no wonder T B Pickens is pushing this. He's made a significant investment and wants to hype the products to make more money.

The kicker is that studies have shown that wind and solar will not decrease our dependence on foreign energy.

You have to include Nuclear. Oh sure we haven't built or upgraded a plant in over 30 years and we have to import our pre-processed fuel, or hire French foreign subcontractors to help run our aging fuel plants.

Also note that no new fusion or high energy physics R&D occur on US soil. CERN is in Switzerland....

So if you want to have clean efficient engery, build the newer safer generation of nuke plants, invest in fusion, geo-thermal and hydro-electric. Oh yeah solar farms are a good idea too.

Also invest in more efficient internal combustion vehicles, alternative fuels (not so much corn but bio sludge.) And more importantly, invest in infrastructure that doesn't require the car.

Mass transit will also help.

[Sebringsenior]

Ignoring all the usual talking points and doing a bit of research, I find that it appears that Mr. Pickens is lobbying the public to get the government to subsidize his new business of providing energy via wind farms and CNG. That's right, he wants us to subsidize him and his new business venture.

[cuzco316]

I don't think you should leave a comment unless you have a better plan and the money and business experience to carry it through. I don't care what T Boon has done in his past, if he has a plan that will work for this country I'm all for it. And the birds, give me a break, this is my family that is suffering, are the birds so dumb as to fly into giant fans, If it where mirrors or glass I could see that happening. I will be emailing Washington. Thank you T Boon.