T. Boone Pickens’ wind-power plans becalmed 4

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1. 

   waterone Posted 10:49 am
   12 Nov 2008

   Yea, well ...T. Boone has always been a real American ... as long as there was a bundle of money to be made by him. If reducing our dependence on oil (and foreign oil in particular) isn't profitable, then why bother? Seeing beyond the profit motive never has been his strong suit.
   I still hope to put up my own wind generator this year ... with or without the Boonester.

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2. 

   christophersj Posted 2:32 pm
   12 Nov 2008

   Here is the real storyHere is the real story and I would love it if anybody could find more info for me on this:
   Pickens has completely changed his plan.  Perhaps this is in the aftermath of losing Proposition 10 in California this past election or maybe someone sat him down and explained the rationality of plug-in hybrids.
   He now advocates NG for heavy trucking, not cars and light trucks, which makes me pay attention again.

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3. 

   ThomR Posted 9:40 pm
   12 Nov 2008

   PickensIt's always been just marketing. The time was right and now it's wrong. Wasn't he also one of the backers if not a participant in the whole Swift boat thing. It's always going to come down to his best interest. Ayone who says otherwise is probably working for him.

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4. 

   christophersj Posted 1:40 am
   13 Nov 2008

   Well...Well, my interest is in SPEED of transition away from CO2 production.  I made peace a long time ago with the fact that greed and corporations can be a very powerful ally in this, especially if Congress makes the playing field lean that way for them.  Wal-Mart is a good example.  If it is profitable for them to go green, then that is 10000 times more powerful than a Sierra Club when it comes to CO2 displacement.
   So my question is, with Pickens' NEW plan, which I havent seen recognized here at Grist yet, does this become something to support again?  It recognizes the superior position of plug-in hybrids for cars and light trucks.
   I've been writing anti-Picken's emails and blogs for a while now.  But if wind is a big part again and he's only talking about NG for big trucks, then that starts to make me look at it again.
   Im not saying I'm subscribing to anything.  This is something very recent that I just noticed on The Daily Show Wed. night.
   We got to stay flexible and smart guys.  Rigidness is going to kill us.
   I estimate NG would reduce big trucking's CO2 footprint by a third until "super batteries" or algae diesel or hydrogen becomes a reality.  Maybe a third reduction isnt worth the effort, maybe it is.  Oh and dont forget the reduction in sooty pollution too.  The L.A. port has a huge problem.  Its making people sick.

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