A couple of years ago T. Boone Pickens went public and advocated the mass construction of wind turbines to produce electric power. He reasoned that America was addicted to foreign oil.
In early 2008 Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman, corporate raider, shareholder-rights crusader, philanthropist and deep-pocketed moneyman for conservative politicians and causes, said he wanted to drive the USA's political and economic agenda.
"This is not about Republicans vs. Democrats," Pickens said. "This is about saving our country from the ruination of spending $700 billion a year on oil imports. Ninety days after the oil hits our shores, it's all burned up, and we've got nothing to show for it. But they (foreign oil producers) still have our money. It's killing our economy."
It's an addiction that threatens our economy, our environment and our national security. It touches every part of our daily lives.
In additional to putting our security in the hands of potentially unfriendly and unstable foreign nations, we spent $475 billion on foreign oil in 2008 alone. That's money taken out of our economy and sent to foreign nations, and it will continue to drain the life from our economy for as long as we fail to stop the bleeding.
Projected over the next 10 years the cost will be $10 trillion - it will be the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Sen. Barack Obama offered voters a vision of hope and change; and called attention to three main issues. To bring our troops home from the two unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; develop an energy policy which would free us from our dependence of foreign oil; and address the failing economy.
Obama's voice resonated and he won the election 53 to 47 percent. In the process Obama successfully moved nine states from the red column (Republican) to the blue column (Democrat). Voters heard his message and were promised he would not become just another politician; full of rhetoric and broken campaign promises.
But Obama has become a politician like others. After the election his administration promised to make offshore wind a priority, and even though developers are lining up to string wind farms up and down the Atlantic seaboard, nothing has happened.
The administration that promised to make "clean energy" one of its top priorities has yet to grant a single permit for wind or solar development on public land; on or off shore.
Administration officials say now that the first solar permits won't come until at least next year and that the first offshore wind farms are also likely to be two years away.
The new administration is quick to point out that they moved quickly to clear the "regulatory underbrush" caused by the Bush administration. Everything seems to be Bush's fault but Obama's administration never gets around to doing anything.
Naturally there is the NIMBY effect (not in my back yard). A project proposed for Nantucket Sound, where the president vacationed last month is a case in point.
For more than eight years, investors on all sides some with interests in the new sources of energy and others making money off the old one have been fighting to either navigate or gum up the permit process of the proposed Cape Wind Project.
This project could provide the majority of power on Cape Cod and nearby islands. But the windmills would be visible from the mainland as well as Martha's Vineyard on a clear day.
Critics fear there would be an impact on the environment, boaters and on fishermen who make their living on the shoal waters, where the turbines would be constructed. Further they claim it would interfere with the natural beauty of the area.
Republicans continue to prod the Obama administration to move faster on every domestic energy front, but they fear there never was any commitment to follow the lead of T. Boone Pickens.
JP Bender is a retired award winning investigative reporter with 35 years experience in the profession. He now spends his retirement living in Maryland with his children and grandchildren. He still reports on issues of national interest, while his peers claim he does not fully understand the meaning of the word“retired.”
I think our attention has been skillfully diverted elsewhere lately (glad you are not letting this rest because it will come back to bite us - oil, energy and the solution - giving much to our enemies daily - not smart. Marijo
Thanks Marijo - as I watch oil and gasoline prices continue to rise, it causes me to have concern. I hope this was not just campaign rehetoric. Because of his stance on this issue, millions of people voted for Obama. Voters don't forget why they voted for a person.
Accountability, accountability, accountability. Keep pushing it JP. ALL of our public officials need to be held to account. Although, I do believe that it has not just been Republican leaders pushing for advances on the domestic energy front, but plenty of Democrats as well (this push was also occurring during the Bush administration). To paraphrase T Boone: not about Democrat or Republican. Thanks for this informative and much needed read.
Thanks Edward for taking the time to read the article. This is an American problem - not political. But the President is in charge and needs to set the agenda - as he did during the campaign. JP
Interesting article, again, JP. I have wondered about this 'important' issue that has been set aside. Maybe the environmental lobbyists didn't put out enough dough to be at the top of the payoff list?
Another good article JP. The environmentalist had to stop short. Well you understand, Democrat/republican, they are still fighting. Remember, the Republicans even got angry with President Obama for trying to talk to T.Boone.
That is why T Boone became quiet I guess. Well wekeep trying. Good article
One of the reasons T. Boone went quiet was because he lost a significant amount of his fortune in the stock market crash last year. Texas, where I live, is a prime spot for wind investment and there's no significant public opposition, but raising capital and finding investment funds in the private sector as been an enormous problem since the financial sector was so badly hit last year.
We desperately need to develop alternatives to petroleum-based products, but the Democrats drag their feet because they don't want to upset the environmentalists and the Republicans just keep chanting, "Drill, baby, drill". The year that Houston takes a direct hit from a Cat 5 hurricane and shuts down the refineries for 2 months is the year the politicians will begin to take this seriously.
Jean - I agree with your viewpoints - but the President is the President and his leadership has been lacking in this area that he promised action. Thanks for reading the article and for your feedback. JP
As always JP-very informative article! Energy conservation is not a strong issue for me, but I am curious how will all play out! Thanks for the update!
Laura - thanks for reading the article. I thiknk we have to wait and see how this plays our. In the meantime I hope we don't freeze to death in the dark JP
I live near the shores of Lake Erie where there have been studies and talk about a pilot program with wind turbines in the lake. I'm not sure why it seemed to die down. I boat the lake and was looking forward to seeing if it would be viable. Good subject to bring up in an article--thanks for the subject reminder.
Thanks for the feedback Steve. I came from Catawba Island, near Port Clinton area on lake Erie. I remember talk there too. But it never got past the talk stage. JP
I'm with you 100%, JP. I have told my wife a thousand times at least, (just ask her!), "there should be a windmill in every piece of land big enough to hold one!"
We have a windmill farm just a few miles away. The folks there are cryibng NIMBY! NIMBY!!
I would like to see nuclear plants shut down while windfarms are brought online. It doesn't matter how many it takes, as it would benefit everyone.
Hear, hear! Wind has an amazing energy potential with few drawbacks. The limitation is always money. But then our government leaders don't seem to have a problem throwing billions of dollars at our downward-spiraling, gas-addicted auto industry. Thermal energy is something else that we hear very little about, but has the potential to power most if not all of our energy needs. The problem is, you have to get past the Bureau of Land Management's 25-year waiting list. Keep up the good work, JP.
Thanks for reading the article J.D.. Your comments are well taken and are on point. If the government wanted to see this go ahead, there would be tax incentves along with mandated requirements for electric companies to purchase the new power and place it on their grids - with a reasonable return allowance for the utility. Best regards, JP
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