Is this encouraging?

[Richard Kerver]

T.Boone Pickens wields enormous influence because of his billions of net worth.  He's a darling of the ASPO Peak Oil crowd, because he was once an "oil" man, now convinced we're at peak and that we need new energy policy.  The "Pickens Plan" is to redirect natural gas from electricity generation (now about 16%) to transportation, and replace generation capacity with large scale wind.

Estimates of domestic natural gas supply have increased substantially over the last decade, due to advances in hydro-fracturing shale and new drilling technologies, opening of vast new areas to production.  And large wind farms are now spreading everywhere now that it has support both in Washington and on Wall Street.  All that is about making maximum use of domestic energy supplies, freeing us from "foreign oil" (read, dealing with peak oil, and shipping tankers of dollars overseas).  So, yes, its possible.

Pickens will likely succeed with his Plan, at least for a while.  Those of us who subscribe to the need for Sustainable Development, however, have substantive critiques of that plan.  We'd rather see the Heinberg Plan (Richard Heinberg, Powerdown).  That plan looks to substantially reduce the energy and natural resource requirements of human civilization.  That plan puts greater faith in efforts to rebuild community and the re-localization of production capacity back to our communities.  That plan builds green, conserves energy, improves energy efficiency, does local solar, wind and renewables, and invests in green jobs.  I find that a more hopeful, a more believable vision of the future.  Main Street, rather than Wall Street.

Remember, its not just energy that is the constraint to continued growth, of everything.  Its every other natural resource too, like water, arable farm land, minerals, places to put garbage, etc., etc., etc.  We only have ONE planet, and life on Earth is far more important than whether WalMart has a positive balance sheet.

That Pickens is succeeding by convincing the CEO's of corporations like WalMart should say quite enough.  If you're looking to big money to save America, the lessons of the last week should send tremors up your spine.  Local, sustainable energy and relocalization of production is far more probable, far more believable.  But it needs you, and everyone else to simply live differently.

On 9/20/08, Sharon Nietsche <harmony...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Is this encouraging news, or is it some kind of dodge? 

I can't tell anymore.

 

 

Here's a great story: Last weekend, T. Boone met with Lee Scott, the CEO of Wal-Mart, and some 3,000 Wal-Mart associates. After hearing T. Boone's presentation of the plan, Mr. Scott asked one of his regional managers how many trucks Wal-Mart operates. He was told there are about 8,500 trucks currently in use. Then something remarkable happened. Mr. Scott, obviously impressed by the Pickens Plan, asked to immediately begin a study of what would be involved in replacing a fleet of diesel trucks with ones that run on compressed natural gas. To have America's largest retailer looking into shifting their trucking fleet to run on natural gas is a major step towards our country's energy independence—and proof that the Pickens Plan, with your help and efforts, is reaching not just the highest powers in Washington, but the highest powers in business as well.

[Graceg...@aol.com]

Richard - thanks for this well written clarification - I have been disturbed by Pickens Plan but have not had time to write anyhting (let alone a pithy and to the point critique like this) about it -

Thanks, grace

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[kirk mailloux]

T Boone is a liar!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/22/t-boone-pickens-more-bull_n_114383.html
 
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/pickens-says-drill-offshore-anwr-get-it-all.php
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70HFEHB6dag
 
  Once an Oil man always an oil man. 

---

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[Richard Kerver]

Ah, but they have - check out http://www.masstech.org/solar/ - best solar/PV rebate in the nation!  Thanks to all the hard working folks right here in the Commonwealth.  Want a real revolution?  Do energy independence, with small scale solar/PV or wind.  Want to do it with your friends?  Coming soon, "neighborhood net metering."  Successful revolutions are always FOR something different.  Here it is!

On 9/21/08, wendy newhall <circle_...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Yes, I find it annoying that they will consider putting up wind farms but no one seems to be selling the "model-t" of windmills or solar panels. It sure would be the best solution if the government would give individuals enough of a tax break so that individuals could become energy independent.

[tropes...@gmail.com]

Hi Folks,
Here's a useful 'tool' site I found, Roof Ray, http://www.roofray.com/
It allows you to load in information about your roof dimensions and
other factors like location and calculates solar yields for your own
cost/benefit analysis.

Then for tax benefit research, DSIRE http://www.dsireusa.org/ tracks
all tax benefits for every state and the Fed.

Finally, Konarka in Lowell, http://www.konarka.com/ has a breakthrough
solar design tech that lowers production costs pf PV's by moving
beyond the older sealing process with special flexible polymers
they've identified making PV sheet material that may one day also be a
roofing material.

I loaded http://sustainabilityumbrella.blogspot.com/ with a solar
section for more resources. I'm also going to start a weekly "sense of
place" profile and it would be a ball to write about Worcester some
time. I'm particularly impressed by the presence of grass roots
entities like http://www.recworcester.org/ because the appear to be
geared to helping the general public. One exasperating thing about
Boston is the overload if Top Down things with ponderous names ending
in 'Task Force' or 'Coalition'.

It's the old school approach of trying to lobby the Commonwealths
somewhat callow Legislature into doing the right thing by pounding
them with the weight of studies and resumes. Walk ins and randoms are
not generally welcome. And effort outcomes, if any tend to take
forever.

But an effective grass roots thing helping people retrofit energy
wasting old New England legacy properties could have a huge role in
shrinking the fat Mass carbon footprint.
Best.
Chris,

On Sep 21, 10:41 am, "Richard Kerver" <rker...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ah, but they have - check outhttp://www.masstech.org/solar/- best solar/PV

> rebate in the nation! Thanks to all the hard working folks right here in
> the Commonwealth. Want a real revolution? Do energy independence, with
> small scale solar/PV or wind. Want to do it with your friends? Coming
> soon, "neighborhood net metering." Successful revolutions are always FOR
> something different. Here it is!
>