Tulsa World: Pickens focuses on natural gas, alternative energy

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Friday, November 20, 2009 | WIRELESS

Home > Business

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Pickens focuses on natural gas, alternative energy

Boone Pickens answers a questions at the OSU Energy Conference in Oklahoma City. Pickens said the U.S. can cut its dependence on foreign oil by using more alternative energy sources. ROBERT S. CROSS / Tulsa World

By JASON WOMACK, World Staff Writer
Published: 4/23/2008 3:49 PM
Last Modified: 4/23/2008 3:54 PM

Boone Pickens, chairman and founder of BP Capital Management, advocates cutting U.S. dependence on foreign oil by using natural gas to fuel automobiles and relying more on alternative energy to power homes.

Pickens said Wednesday that turning to natural gas for cars and using wind to generate power for utilities can stymie the flow of cash used to purchase foreign oil.

He noted that the U.S. spends $600 billion every year on oil imports.

“That’s going to a few friends and a hell of a lot of enemies,” he told a capacity crowd at the second annual Oklahoma State University Energy Conference.

The conference, titled “A Bright Future for Oklahoma,” featured Pickens as the keynote speaker. He offered his thoughts on energy during an interview conducted by OSU President Burns Hargis.

During that interview, Pickens said natural gas, which contributes to about 22 percent of utilities’ generation capacity, should be shifted to a transportation fuel as a way of satisfying the country’s thirst for energy.

“It is a domestic product,” he said. “It’s cleaner and cheaper.”

The U.S. consumes a quarter of the 85 million barrels of oil produced in the world every day, Pickens said, a level of consumption shines a “spotlight” on the country.

He contends that a combination of coal and nuclear power can replace the natural gas currently used by utilities, and he predicted that the price of natural gas would continue to rise.

This summer, Pickens predicts that natural gas could hit

$14 per 1,000 cubic feet and could rise as high as $18 or $20 per 1,000 cubic feet, depending on the weather.

“As natural gas continues to go up in price,” Pickens said. “it makes wind more attractive.”

Wind power, he says, can meet much of the demand for new power generation needed by utilities, Pickens said.

By JASON WOMACK, World Staff Writer

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

8 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

	Report Comment Boilermaker, (4/23/2008 4:49:35 PM) He and Mr. Cheney should start up a national telethon... this summer is not going to be a pretty site for truckers, airlines, farmers, or the wee consumer who will cancel the car trip to Mt. Rushmore. Smoke and mirrors...the moguls create the mess. They are reaping the $$. Big time. Coal pollutes the air. Power station in the State are outdated. No one wants to invest in building new ones because they are environomental not friendly and no one wants one in their backyard. The nuclear plants is what we should be pursuing; however, the politicians have halted that venue. Windmill...no one wants those in backyards either. Bang head here Boone.
	Report Comment The Onion, (4/23/2008 4:55:07 PM) Natural gas is not a clean fuel, and if it became more commonly used in vehicles, it would not be cheaper to use. He's going by modern day cost. In fact, if it were more commonly used, it would become less common in nature, and as a result, it would be much more expensive than it is today. And, it is naive to assume that emissions would be curtailed because of its usage. Natural gas is not a clean burning fuel, and we can't rely on the industry or the government to regulate those emissions to levels that are acceptable in this age of evident global warming. Therefore, natural gas is not the way to go. The reason he's pushing the fuel is because he has a large financial stake in natural gas. Pickens is not to be trusted.
	Report Comment doug, (4/23/2008 5:11:50 PM) Who has more credibility, T. Boone Pickens or "The Onion"?? .... I'm gonna go with T. Boone Pickens
	Report Comment Chris, Tuls (4/23/2008 7:37:53 PM) Natural Gas is a clean burning fuel. It doesn't get claner than CNG or Natural Gas.
	Report Comment Tony G, (4/23/2008 9:17:07 PM) Anything to get us away from M.E oil.
	Report Comment Val, Tulsa (4/23/2008 11:59:38 PM) I own property in the Texas panhandle. I received a letter from Mr Pickens company offering to lease my land for a wind farm he will be constructing. The offer: $8.00. I declined. I expect he will have my property taken from me. That's how the man has made his billions. Stepping on the little guy.
	Report Comment Justin, Tulsa (4/24/2008 2:44:25 PM) Wind "farming" is the least efficient and thus most expensive way to get power. It's hardly a solution, but then all the good solutions are either being ignored, or opposed by the ignorant.
	Report Comment HAROLD RYAN, OKC (5/11/2008 9:11:36 PM) How about some info on cng conversion for cars. Cost, who does it, how does the cost compare with gasoline?

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.