Money Beat

Obama has proposed a “Green Deal” for enlisting America to rebuild infrastructure all across the country, creating millions of new conservation and renewable energy jobs, reviving our grassroots economy, and pushing toward energy independence. Screw OPEC. We don’t need to raise taxes or wait for old school politicians to change their stripes. Check out the Apollo Alliance (apolloalliance.org) for examples of successful community-based projects – like FDR said in 1933, “Do something. If it works, do it some more. If it doesn’t work, do something else.”

I agree with Pickens and Obama that we need to aggressively invest in renewable energy like wind to lessen our dependence on foreign oil.
The only point I disagree with Pickens on in this article is his stating oil speculators aren't influencing the sudden high prices we are paying for oil today. When this bill is passed I think we will see a substantial decrease in the price of a barrel of oil. Then it is up to us to take up the call, pester our Congress to invest in renewables and conserve energy as much as possible ourselves. And if you have the extra money to invest in solar panels for your roof, do it as a patriotic statement as well as a good investment. (My brother's neighbor did so two years ago, his electric bill now averages $20 dollars a month, down from $160, as by law in Connecticut the electric company has to buy any surplus electricity you produce.)

Environmentalists have been looking for a magical solution to oil and fossill fuel for decades. Where has it led so far?

Wind-Works until it's not windy.

Solar-Works unless it rains or it gets dark.

Ethnol-Biggest energy blunder in history. It costs more to produce it than to sell it. The only outcome has been inflated corn-on-the-cob prices and Saudi Arabia laughing at us.

Fuel cells-Expensive to produce and the only companies that are capable of mass producing hydrogen are oil companies.

We're sitting on the largest oil reserve in the worls. 80% of Americans are for more drilling, but Congress keeps blocking it. Only the most empowered people in this nation are capable of such world class stupidity.

T Boone Picken could do more to be credible if he were to return the retirment funds to the thousands of people he and his corporate raiders stole when they bought up companies just to get into the employee retirement fund to shut it down steal the retiree's money under cover of so called legality. It was and still is moraly wrong. He and his people did nothing to earn those funds beyond having enough money to but the company.

Mike said: "We're sitting on the largest oil reserve in the world."
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Yes, but it's not offshore or in Alaska. Even Bush's own Energy Info. Agency says that massive new drilling would only shave several cents off the price of gasoline.

The oil shale reserves out West are enormous, but the technology to rapidly extract oil from solid rock isn't available.

Wind energy requires wind turbines, BIG wind turbines...Great until they are dotting your hillside, then people begin to complain about noise, obstructing their views etc..Major issue where we live..Plus getting a permit to put one on your property is a huge task.....Solar has its own problems....Will take a variety all sources available including drilling..

T Boone Pickens has a good idea by using wind for power generation, it will produce a small percentage of the energy that we require, put it together with all other sources of power and a good energy plan and we will be able to substancially reduce our dependence on oil. Just go carefully, there's a lot of hot air blowing out there.

Boone must be a very smart man. For an oil man to say these things amazes me, instead of choosing greed he has chosen a solution. He knows we cannot continue on this path, and no matter what our children are inheriting a worse America than we were left with. We have to find our alternative energy, while we still have the fossil fuels to develop it. Otherwise, we are done as a nation. Vote Obama '08, or explain to our kids why you chose the President that expanded nuclear power. Or is that Nuculear, I've heard it to many times from Bush to remeber.

The cost to convert to wind isn't very much. Add wind props to mountain tops and transmit via wire to our electric generating conversion stations.
We used to look at rivers for a source of electricity, now we need to add mountains as well.
Then just find a way to roll everything back to electric without some sleazebag hording all the money!

We have 3 problems with foreign old dependence. The one we are addressing in this article is economic. However, we also help climate change by using more renewable. We get the added benefit of reducing the middle east's cash cow, with all the side benefits that entails.
Last thing - so often we look at the job and think it is too big. Well, it is huge... but you can only change things one bit at a time. I applaud efforts to start walking the path more vigorously.

When electricty demand spikes, like on a hot day, we can increase electricity generation by drawing more water, burning more coal and gas or manipulating the fuel rods in a reactor. We can't force the wind to blow and the sun to shine more. It is much less economical to keep hundreds of thousands of wind turbines idle until needed on a hot day in order to increase production when needed. Pickens has 200,000 acres he wants to develop wind power on so he can supply Dallas-Ft. Worth. Where are you going to put enough turbines to provide NYC or Chicago with wind power?