Earth Equity News

Pickens Plan for Natural Gas Vehicles Gaining Traction. By Kambiz Foroohar, Bloomberg, October 7, 2009. "Trim and tanned at 81, T. Boone Pickens... is a far cry from the wildcatter turned corporate raider and backer of fellow Republican oilman George W. Bush, who downplayed global warming as U.S. president. Now Pickens has ingratiated himself not only with environmentalists but with the Democrats who derided him. The reason: his Pickens Plan, which embraces natural gas and wind power and which proponents say would cut oil imports and curb air pollution in the process. By dint of his plan, which Pickens has scaled back to focus on using natural gas to power the nation's 6.5 million diesel- burning heavy trucks, he has transformed himself into an unlikely environmental hero. Pickens says the U.S. can save 2.7 million barrels of oil a day, more than half of the 4.3 million barrels a day it imported from OPEC in June. After spending $60 million and taking a yearlong swing across America, Pickens has amassed enough support to persuade both Republicans and Democrats to propose legislation that gives incentives for natural gas vehicles and fueling stations."