Billionaire oilman and Oklahoma native T. Boone Pickens has never been shy about what he wants. As the major donor to OSU athletics, Mr. Pickens boldly told the university to speed up construction on the stadium expansion because he wasn't getting any younger.
He brought that same sort of hurried enthusiasm to a Town Hall meeting in Stillwater this past week. It's part of his plan to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil.
He has spent more than $60 million of his own money to promote the Pickens Plan, a multi-year initiative to convert the nation's motor carrier fleet from diesel fuel to compressed natural gas and to build more wind turbines.
Mr. Pickens told the Stillwater audience Thursday that the country imported 24 percent of all oil in 1970. That has ballooned to 67 percent today. In 10 years, that will have increased to 75 percent.
He said a barrel of oil, which costs about $80 today, will bring $300 in 10 years. That kind of oil dependency makes the U.S. vulnerable to foreign dictators and nation states that are not allies to the United States.
Fleet conversion would result in cleaner vehicle emissions and cheaper transport costs. He has had 20 million visitors to his website promoting the Pickens Plan.
Web site visitors become enlisted in his army of volunteers that are charged with pushing for an energy plan for America. His passion can't be ignored. We look for some kind of energy plan that helps fleets get converted. Mr. Pickens guarantees something will be in place within a year.
