Peak Oil may be arriving soon and an energy crisis will accompany it (along with high gasoline prices). To counter the energy crisis, we, first, tried ethanol with its huge government subsidies. When food prices shot up, second thoughts were had about the wisdom of using corn-based ethanol for fuel. Although ethanol is now generally considered a failure by energy experts, we continue to produce it in quantity. The farmers love the subsidies! But ethanol is inadequate, at best, and a scam, at worst! (The ridiculous ethanol subsidies are now in the process of being dropped.)
So it has now become obvious that we are not going to be able to grow our way out of the energy crisis. Instead, we are been told that we must drill our way out of the energy crisis. The offshore areas and ANWR must be opened up for drilling. Drill, baby, drill!!
Now, even another disappointment! Even if we had huge fields of undiscovered oil (which we don't), we find it would take ten years before substantial production could take place. By that time, our old oil fields would be largely depleted.
Please don't get me wrong! I believe we should open up the offshore areas and ANWR for drilling. If nothing else, the results would quite the talk that we can drill our way out of the most serious energy problem our nation has ever faced.
But, folks, we need a replacement for oil and we need it soon!
This website is an introduction to Boone Pickens, oil billionaire and alternative energy expert, and his plan -The Picken's Plan - to solve the energy crisis.
So as we discard the conventional wisdom regarding how ethanol and drilling in ANWR and offshore is going to save us, we wait for a miracle. Surely, some testosterone-filled entrepreneur stranger will rescue us.
But no. The only entrepreneur with a viable plan appears to be an 80 year old who had practically disappeared from view years ago - T. Boone Pickens. Pickens had made a lot of noise in the oil patch about 30 to 40 years ago as he used leverage to take over one under-priced & poorly managed oil company after another. Then, he entered a quite period in which he didn't make much noise but in which he became a billionaire several times over.
Pickens then took a long look at the energy crisis and decided to rescue us from it. His observations and plan are essentially as follows:
1. Peak oil is here and it is not going away. There is a finite amount of oil on earth and we have used over one-half of it. We can't drill our way out of the problem.
2. Our imports of oil is costing the U.S. $700 billion per year. That figure will only increase as we deplete our domestic oil reserves. We cannot afford such a drain on our economy.
3. Natural gas is much more plentiful than oil and giant new natural gas fields are being discovered in shale formations in this country. Natural gas can now be produced from the shale deposits because of advances in drilling techniques (directional drilling & fracturing). The natural gas is available much quicker that oil can be produced from a new field.
4, The natural gas is a clean fuel and, when used to replace gasoline, will help us with Global Warming.
5. So, Pickens wants to convert cars & trucks to natural gas . ; This is a lot of work because a natural gas distribution system would have to be implemented.
6. The prairie states - Texas to Canada - have a tremendous renewable energy source - wind power (windmills!) - available for our use. The wind power can be converted to electricity and this would replace much of the oil, natural gas, and coal now used to produce electricity. Unfortunately, it will take about 10 years to get a system developed to fully utilize the wind power. Increased use of natural gas can help bridge the gap while the windmills are being built.
2. Haynesville Shale Formation. One of the largest natural gas strikes ever made in the US. The Picken's Plan would make use of the newly-found natural gas.
3. Germany in World War 2. German side of World War 2. Could Germany have won World War 2?
Picken's Plan uses natural gas and wind power to replace much of the oil now being imported. The implementation cost is estimated by Pickens to cost about $700 billion dollars....about the same as the cost of one year's imports of oil! This plan looks like about the best bargain I have seen. And it is being pushed by one of the most innovative oil men that the world has seen. Lets give the Pickens's Plan a chance!
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Last Updated: 02/04/17