The Pickens Plan - Wind to replace Oil
Oilman T Boone Pickens is pitching wind energy as the alternative energy to move the US away from its oil dependency. Although he has been an oilman all his life, but says merely digging for more black gold is not the answer. Pickens has a plan for the massive development of an alternative, and sustainable energy source which he says America is as rich in as the Mideast is rich in oil.
"I am doing that with the largest wind farm in the world but thats only 4000 megawatts. I would like to see in the wind corridor which is a huge asset for this country is to have wind like we have its the best wind in the world most consistent win from Texas to Canada," said T. Boone Pickens.
Buttressed by energy from solar and domestically produced natural gas he is convinced that with wind power, America can not only survive an energy crises, but thrive. But is wind just as abundant in regions such as the northeast? And is it practical to harness in these parts? We asked a local expert what he thinks about the practicality of wind power in the northeast.
"Closer you get to eastern N.E. probably the better it tends to be windier out that way because you get those big North Atlantic storms that tend to blow up over the ocean," said Mike Evans of Binghamton's National Weather Service.
And if we continue on our current course?
"We drifted for 40 years drifted drifted drifted we had no leadership and its nothing, we haven't had an energy plan, we've had nothing," said Pickens.
Pickens points out that from 1970 to 2008 we went from a 24% foreign oil demand to a 70% foreign oil demand. And the only reaction from our government, has been to purchase more oil. And that, he says, is clearly not a sustainable course for America.
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