Pickens: My Energy Plan Is The "Only Plan"

cbsnews.com ^ | 10/26/2008 | Charlie Rose

[4rcane]

when i hear, “the only way”, i think BS! Theres many ways and all the above approach is best

[dbrew2u]

Pickens is starting to sound a lot like a Used Car Salesman to me. And i am not buying.

[umgud]

At least he could be truthful. If NG were that great for the trucks, they would already be converted. The only reason public transit uses it is for PC reasons.

[Titus-Maximus]

Pickens plan sucks. He owns all this natural gas and that is why he is pushing it. 100,000 MW’s of windmills is ludicrous because #1) the transmission will not be built. #2) All wind mills have to be backed up by gas fired power plants and #3) the wind blows the least in July and August when you need power the most. Until we can effectively store power, stay away from windmills. The shipping industry got out of wind 150 years ago, you don’t see clipper ships delivering good and commodities to NY Harbor.

Frankly, McCain’s plan is right - build 45 new nukes. It is the only way for real reliable power without Co2.

[raybbr]

How are your NG heating bills? Mine are higher and higher each winter. Just imagine what increasing demand will do.

I use propane. Ten years ago it was $1.09/gal. Today it's $2.89/gal. if you are locked in. I now burn about 4 cords of wood a year to help heat the house. Propane is/was that "other fuel" and I don't know if Pickens' plan will affect it one way or the other.

[Eva]

I think that Pickens wind project has hit a snag and needs an infusion of government money. I read an article in the WSJ about the Dutch company that makes the turbines for commercial windmills having a problem. Their turbines are breaking. This is the largest manufacturer of these turbines in the world.

So, I did a search to see who their US customers were. It turns out that GE, Pickens partner in the project, used these faulty turbines. Something else that is interesting is that GE bought the wind project from ENRON, when ENRON fell apart.

[LibLieSlayer]

pickens is a snake oil salesman...

“Step right up and witness the miracle of the ages... right here in my hand I hold the answer to America's energy problems... for only a trillion or so of your hard earned tax dollars... I can solve all of society's problems with the picken’s plan... won't rust, bust or collect dust... makes child birth a pure pleasure”.

LLS

[mysterio]

Pickens is starting to sound a lot like a Used Car Salesman to me. And i am not buying.

I don't get his motivation. It has to be money, because the plan is just not feasible. However, the dude is 80 plus and could spend $20k a second for the rest of his life and probably still stay around even. So why do this? What is he going to need the money for?

[proudmilitarymrs]

Amen to that!! There’s always more than one way to skin a cat!

mrs

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

I just converted to natural gas service at my home after the last oil fill reached $690 for 168 gallons. The house never had gas service before but there was a 5” main passing right at the end of my driveway. The crew that did the installation was a subcontractor to Wisconsin Energy which sent out a field engineer to supervise the job. He was not real busy and we got to talking. I asked him what ever happened to the “clean energy” vehicles they had been field testing for nearly twenty years (some of their service truck fleet and municipal bus system in Kenosha were running on CNG). He said there were problems achieving an acceptable range. Even at high pressures the energy density of CNG required some rather large storage tanks. That might work out for buses but would hamstring any private automobile application. He also said there were concerns about the safety of having the general public doing the required connections to refill the high pressure storage tanks. In effect Wisconsin Energy just dropped the program because it didn't seem feasible.

Someone tell Pickens that even the gas company doesn't think it will work.

Regards,
GtG

[mulligan]

And more likely, one of many plans that will not work and just make matters worse.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

I just converted to natural gas service at my home after the last oil fill reached $690 for 168 gallons. The house never had gas service before but there was a 5” main passing right at the end of my driveway. The crew that did the installation was a subcontractor to Wisconsin Energy which sent out a field engineer to supervise the job. He was not real busy and we got to talking. I asked him what ever happened to the “clean energy” vehicles they had been field testing for nearly twenty years (some of their service truck fleet and municipal bus system in Kenosha were running on CNG). He said there were problems achieving an acceptable range. Even at high pressures the energy density of CNG required some rather large storage tanks. That might work out for buses but would hamstring any private automobile application. He also said there were concerns about the safety of having the general public doing the required connections to refill the high pressure storage tanks. In effect Wisconsin Energy just dropped the program because it didn't seem feasible.

Someone tell Pickens that even the gas company doesn't think it will work.

Regards,
GtG

[truthluva]

I am about sick of T Boone. I am not for anything that puts more mone into nancy’s pockets.

[umgud]

That’s a strange web that was weaved....... tangled too.

[thackney]

He said there were problems achieving an acceptable range. Even at high pressures the energy density of CNG required some rather large storage tanks.

Yes, Honda's GX Civic has a range of 224 miles. Their Civic Hybrid CVT has a range of 517.

http://automobiles.honda.com/tools/compare/results-overview.aspx?ModelName=Civic+GX&ModelYear=2009&AICGroupNum=5094&AICNum1=25689&AICNum2=25393&LastState=%2Ftools%2Fcompare%2Fselect-competitor-similar.aspx%3FModelName%3DCivic%2BGX%26ModelYear%3D2009%26AICGroupNum%3D5094%26AICNum1%3D25689%26AICNum2%3D25393%26LastState%3D&Filter=&Mode=&Photo=&Change=

[o2bfree]

this guy pickens is a wolf in sheeps clothing. He helped define the liberal narrative early in 2008.

[mysterio]

The mysterio plan :

1. Build more nuclear power plants than we need. In every state. Coal, also.

2. Continue to use gasoline while vastly increasing production of biodiesel and biobutanol. And don't use food crops to make them. They can both be made from biological and industrial waste.

3. Methane from landfills like they've been doing in Japan since the 80s.

4. In 20 years when hydrogen technology is greatly improved, switch vehicles to hydrogen and electric. We'll have the nuclear infrastructure to provide the electricity to do anything we want. Semis and trains can continue to use biodiesel.

[postalx]

The natural gas angle does have substantial merit. Clean burning, abundant, conversion technology already in place; add in a little little consumer education (OK, Maybe a lot)(gas being trickier to handle than liquids) ONLY ONE LITTLE ISSUE: Distribution, delivery and final mile transport. Big Scary Sh!t to the Greenies. HOWEVER: Under Eisenhower, we built roads. Under McCain/Palin, we should undertake a nationwide distribution networks of Gas Pipelines. Owned by investors in the Master Limited Partner arrangement (read citizens), through a Soc. Sec. related bond fund, available to all Soc. Sec. contributors (Horrors! Privatization!) paying market rates for capital. End run around our banking buddies.

The nation wins: cleaner, domestically produced energy.

The consumer/investor wins: Higher than average bond return on invested capital, safe & secure investment, backed by a money making asset: the pipelines and the ‘rights of way’ upon which they traverse. Huge jobs potential! Not someone’s lockbox.

Industry wins: Cash flow increases based on wider consumer demand as gas replaces gasoline in the short haul vehicular market.

The taxpayer wins: Every cubic foot of that gas is taxed not only for its final use, but unlike Saudi oil, the Govt. gets well licensing fees and taxes per cubic foot because its domestically produced.

WHO LOSES? Not T. Boone; his biggest overhead hurdle has been taken care of by his countrymen.

Note to McCain/Palin: Energy security STILL has legs as an issue. Lets get specific, and show some creativity here!

[Mike Darancette]

Hey Boone, the Democrats are going to have a lame duck session of Congress and outlaw drilling everywhere in the country. No drill, drill, drill and no natural gas. You had a meeting with Obama and he told you to kiss his ring, you did and now you can kiss his a$$.

[mysterio]

Here's the problem : how much natural gas is there? 100 years? 200 years? At current consumption? Now multiply current consumption times five or ten. How much is left then? Is it NG that we can actually get at easily?

It just seems like a crap long term strategy to me.

It's like those who want to lay it all on coal gasification. "We have 200 years worth!" they say. Yes, 200 years at current consumption. Increase consumption tenfold, and we have 20 years. Increase demand tenfold and coal isn't such a good buy anymore.

We need something else.