Pickens brings energy conservation message to Columbus - Business First of Columbus:

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The famous oilman and founde r and chairman of the BP Capital Managemen t energy investment funds discussedhis “Pickensd Plan” at a town hall-style meeting that drew about 700 peoplwe to the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Pickens has visiter more than 50 cities since introducing his plan in It calls for reducing dependence onforeig oil, expanding the use of renewable energy, constructing a new powerf grid, increasing energy conservation and shifting heavy-duty fleet vehicles to naturalo gas to reduce the use of diesel fuel and gasoline. At a press conferencde before his Columbus Pickens said he feels an obligation to raise the energyh issues at this stage inhis life.
He is 80 and has been in the oil businessince 1951. “I said, ‘Gosh, somebody sometime has to do somethingg to blow the whistle andstop this,” Pickens “The security of our country is at He said his plan has received an incrediblew amount of support with nearly 2 million peopled having joined what his organization calls the “Pickens to help promote his cause. They are beinh asked to participate ina “virtual on Washington, D.C., Apripl 1-3 to urge Congress and President Barackl Obama to back the Pickens Plan.
Pickensx has said the federal economic stimuluz plan approved by Congress and Obama is an important starrt toward investing inrenewable energy, improvements to the nation’x electric transmission system and energy conservation. But, he said Tuesday he woulr like to see federal funding to promoter naturalgas use, including money for a mode l program to convert 18-wheel trucks from diesel fuel to natural gas. The U.S. has ample supplies of natural gas, Pickens and can use it as an affordable, clean-burningf bridge fuel until other energy technologiesx are morefully developed. It would be foolish not to take that he said.
“Let’s get our energgy destiny in our hands insteaxdof other’s people’s hands,” Pickens said. “I’j hopeful we have a presidenr who willsay we’re going to do Pickens introduced his plan at a time when Americanw were paying $4 a gallon for gasoline. The price has since fallen to below $2 a but he said that doesn’tr change the fact that nation’d security is at risk because of its dependence onforeignh oil. “Americans are concerned,” Pickens said, “and we’re at the tippiny point where all this is goingyto happen.
” The Pickens Plan also proposez to generate up to 22 percen t of the nation’s electricity from wind powetr and supports development of an extra-high voltagre transmission system to facilitate expandee use of renewable electricity generation. Those are among the reasonss signed on as corporate sponsor of the Pickens Plan in saidMichael Morris, chairman and CEO of the Columbus-based electric utility company. He joined Pickens at the Columbusa townhall event. “The Pickens Plan stands for something that’es so important to all of Morris said, pointing to the nation’s energy needs.
“The whole concept is we’re sendinhg our hard-earned American dollars to countriesthat don’t thinkk much of us and that this is something we can AEP has advocated development of an extra-high voltager transmission superhighway to efficiently transport electricity, includintg wind power from the Uppet Midwest to the densely populated East It also has been increasing its commitmeny to renewable energy sources, especially wind in Ohio and other states.