Full speed ahead on new energy: T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore challenge the next president…

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0722/p08s01-comv.html

Full speed ahead on new energy

T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore challenge the next president to remake the US energy industry.

from the July 22, 2008 edition

T Boone Pickens and Al Gore have proposed bold plans to radically reduce America's addiction to fossil fuels. These two gadflies just might provide enough bite to provoke the next president to swifter action.

Mr. Pickens argues that using wind power for electricity and powering vehicles with domestic natural gas can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports within 10 years. If nothing is done, the conservative Texas oilman says, the US will send $10 trillion out of the country in the next decade, "the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind," he says.

Building wind-powered generators in the heartland of America and new transmission lines would cost $1.2 trillion but it would make America the "Saudi Arabia" of wind power, he says.

Mr. Gore wants the US to commit to producing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy and other clean sources – also in 10 years. His plan would cost $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion in public and private investment. But the Democrat and former vice president argues that the money will be well spent in reducing the unknown future costs of oil.

...

[Juche]

1. Less than the war in Iraq or Bush's tax cuts

The war in Iraq and the Bush tax cuts cost $200-300 billion a year each. Eliminate one or both and you'd have enough money for Gore's program of 100% energy by 2018.

That is also assuming the funding is 100% public, which it wouldn't be. It would be public/private.

[tridim]

2. T. Boone wants to make money, Gore wants to save our planet.

I know who I'm going to listen to.

[Catch22Dem]

4. Listen to both...they're saying the same thing

Hell yes T Boone wants to make money, he's not a billionaire because he's dumb. He knows which way the wind is blowing (pardon the pun) but he can be right and be an asshole at the same time.

Gore has my heart and my support. T Boone has my support.

[tridim]

6. T. Boone wants our cars to run on natural gas, an energy source we need to heat our homes.

He wants nothing more than to keep NG prices on the rise (It's already way up over last year) so he can steal more of our money this winter.

Fuck him.

[madokie]

3. This is all good news as you know

I'm no fan of chikenpiken but I do agree with this

[NNadir]

5. I have always felt that whooping cranes represent a huge threat to windmill blades

and this is why I am so impressed by the efforts of the great environmentalist T. Boone Pickins to eliminate this scourge from the midwest.

Kudos.

Congrats!

We're saved.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. His plan is interesting.

Its one you have to watch for "compromises" on though...You really have to take the whole picture in to make it work, and that means starting with the wind and solar investments. Moving cars over to natural gas without having that in place could be disasterous.

[excess_3]

8. the electric car is coming .n/t