Didyou Know

7/28/2019 Didyou Know

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Ashley Stockton

Period 3

10/12/2008

Did You Know?

The Pickens Plan is a practical solution to the oil crisis we are going through.

However will it ever become a reality? I hope so but congress is not going to make any

changes unless the people insist on it by making a big priority in this election. A lot of

false promises have been made by presidents from both partys regarding oil but this is

due to our lack of follow through. As a country we need to demand that this issue is fixed

and the Pickens Plan could be a way of doing that. We import an immense amount of oil

from other countries 70% to be exact and it is costing us greatly. Not only is it making us

dependent on these foreign countries it is also attributing to all our debt. By using

alternative methods mentioned in the Pickens Plan such as wind power we will decrease

our dependency on foreign countries hopefully one day being completely self-sufficient.

The Pickens Plan is a great idea in theory but it is up to the voters to make sure action is

taken. Without people demanding a change one will not occur because it is easier to leave

the problems to the next generation.

Did You Know

that for more than 35 years, every President has promised to make the US energy

independent, but over that same period, we went from importing 24% of our oil to

importing almost 70%?


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Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill

Clinton and George W. Bush each meant it when they said it, but because oil was cheap,

it was easier to kick the problem down the road. Over the past year, however, when

worldwide demand began to exceed worldwide production, the price of oil has gone up

and now has everyones attention.

that the Pickens Plan creates economic activity, particularly in rural America?

Sweetwater, Texas was typical of many small towns in middle-America. With a shortage

of good jobs, the young people were leaving in search of better jobs. The town's

population dropped from 12,000 to under 10,000.

When a large wind power facility was built outside of town, Sweetwater experienced a

revival. New economic opportunity brought the town back to life and the population has

grown back up to 12,000. Not only that, but nearly a quarter of all the jobs in Sweetwater

are connected to the wind farms.

The wind corridor in the United States runs from West Texas all the way to the

Canadian border east of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to creating new local jobs,

thousands of Americans in other parts of the country will manufacture the turbines and


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blades and help build and maintain the transmission facilities. These are good, high

paying jobs here in the US.

that wind turbines have little or no influence on agriculture?

Compared to the size of land on which they will sit, wind turbines have minimal impact

on the land. They dont interfere with farming and grazing, so they don't threaten food

production or existing local economies. Farms will continue to operate in normal

fashion. In addition to putting food on American tables, farmers will also produce the

power needed to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Farmers lease their land to the wind generation companies just the same way as they

would have a lease for the oil and gas UNDER their property. This is extra income with

no adverse environmental impact.

that the Pickens Plan does not oppose additional drilling in the U.S.?

In order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must use all of our available

domestic resources. We will eventually need everything that we can produce in this


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country, whether it is new sources of domestic oil, additional natural gas, coal, nuclear or

renewable fuels to replace imported oil and stop shipping dollars overseas.

But remember we are importing 12 million barrels of oil each day. There is not enough

oil left in the Outer Continental Shelf, off the East and West Coasts, and in Alaska

combined to make up that oil deficit.

that natural gas is cheaper, more abundant and is an America resource to cover us until

a more permanent solution to our transportation needs is developed?

More than 70% of US imported oil is used in transportation. Of all of the domestic

energy resources available (domestic oil, natural gas, nuclear, coal, wind, solar, hydro,

geo-thermal and bio fuels), only natural gas is easily used as a transportation fuel today.

It is significantly less expensive than gasoline or diesel with prices in the range of $1.50

a gallon.

Electric cars like the General Motors Volt use battery power, but they are light-duty

vehicles. You cant run a Semi on battery power.


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that Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are already in wide use?

Using natural gas for transportation is not a new idea; it is a proven technology. Public

transportation across the country has been using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for

decades. Currently, approximately 20% of public transit buses in the U.S. run on CNG.

There are approximately 8.7 million NGVs worldwide and that number is growing

rapidly. But, there are only about 143,000 in the United States. There are numerous

manufacturers of natural gas vehicles for the world market, including Ford, Honda and

General Motors, which, alone, makes 19 different models of CNG vehicles, but none in

America.

that the Pickens Plan does not depend on your family vehicle to succeed?

It is not family automobiles which will make the biggest, fastest impact. Of all the oil

used for transportation, 38% is used by fleet vehicles trucks, buses, municipal and

utility vehicles.

About one out of every three barrels of imported oil goes into the manufacture of diesel

fuel for tractor-trailers to move goods around the country. If, over the next decade,

trucking companies large and small replaced their diesel vehicles with trucks running on


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either Compressed or Liquified Natural Gas, we would very nearly meet our goal of

cutting oil imports by 30% right there.

We need to start with the largest fleets and then move into Main Street America. It will

take some time but standing still and continuing down the imported oil path is not a

realistic option.

that Natural Gas Vehicles are safe?

You probably use natural gas in your home for cooking, heating, hot water, etc. If its

safe for use inside your home, it is safe to use to power a vehicle.

Federally mandated tests, including collision, fire and high pressure tests prove that

natural gas vehicles are safe. Unlike gasoline which can spill and remain on the ground

at an accident scene, natural gas quickly dissipates as it is lighter than air. Natural gas

has an ignition temperature double that of gasoline so accidental fire is unlikely.

that we have plenty of natural gas to do this?


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Natural gas is our country's second largest energy resource (behind coal) and a vital

component of our energy supply98% of the natural gas used in the United States is

from North America.

Domestic natural gas reserves are twice that of petroleum, and new discoveries of natural

gas and ongoing development of renewable biogas are continually adding to existing

reserves. Largely because of improved drilling technology, our reserves have doubled

over the last five years and are expected to double again in the next five.

A recent study released by the American Clean Skies Foundation indicates that we have

enough natural gas to last more than 100 years.

that Natural Gas burns significantly cleaner than gas or diesel?

Natural gas is the cleanest transportation fuel in widespread use today today. According

to the California Energy Commission, greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are

23% lower than diesel and 30% lower than gasoline. In fact, the natural gas Honda Civic

GXwhich is assembled in Ohiois rated as the cleanest production vehicle in the

world. You can learn more about this car by clicking here.


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that the wind doesnt always blow?

Of course we all know that the wind doesnt blow all the time in every place! Small-

scale wind farms are susceptible to periods of low production because of lack of wind.

But what the Pickens Plan proposes is a series of wind farms that would stretch from

Texas to Canada, over 1,500 miles long.

Research shows that this corridor has the most consistent winds anywhere in the country.

Its what makes us the Saudi Arabia of wind.

While it is possible that some areas in this corridor may not have optimal wind conditions

at any one time, it is highly unlikely that large portions would be idle at the same time.

That is the reason that the Pickens Plan doesnt propose to completely eliminate natural

gas for power generation. It will be needed to augment periods of peak demand.

that Congress has an important role in making the Pickens Plan a reality?

There are three important roles for Congress.


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First they need to extend the renewable Production Tax Credit (PTC) for 10 years

instead of two. This will cost about $15 billion a year (which is nothing compared to the

$700 billion we pay for imported oil) but will give manufacturers the opportunity to do

long-range planning and investment.

Second we need to have new transmission corridors to bring the power from the wind

corridor to the cities where it is needed most. When President Dwight Eisenhower called

for the building of the interstate highway system in 1956, it moved quickly.

If the government commits to modernizing our nations power grid in the same fashion

that we modernized our highways, we can make some serious progress in a relatively

short time.

Finally the federal government has a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles. The government

should take the lead and mandate all new federal government fleet vehicles use natural

gas as their fuel. Because the fuel is cheaper than gasoline, they would immediately start

saving taxpayer money and have a positive impact on the environment.

that Boone Pickens is not in this for the money??

As Boone has said in town hall meetings:


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Im 80 years old and have more money than I will ever need. Ive given nearly $700

million to various charities.

All of the proceeds from my book, The First Billion is the Hardest go to the Brook

Army Medical Center and the Fisher House where the families of severely wounded

soldiers can come and live to be near their loved ones while they recuperate.

This isnt for me. This is for my and your children and grandchildren. We are at a

unique crossroads where we have the ability to confront this problem head on and do

something that is critical for the future of our country.

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