United States Government Support of Pickens' Energy Plan

摘要

Billionaire T. Boone Pickens began a media campaign in July, 2008 to convince the American public and U.S. Congress that the nation should embark on a plan to displace one-third of its oil imports with wind energy within ten years. The plan calls for wind turbines to generate 20 percent of the nation's electricity. This new wind energy will free natural gas, currently used in electricity generation, to replace 47 percent of the oil currently used in the transportation sector. Key to his plan, Pickens wants Congressional support in the form of an extension of the wind Production Tax Credit, legislation to support new electrical transmission lines, and the replacement of the government vehicle fleet with new natural gas vehicles. Although much has been made of Pickens' personal motivations for his plan, the project will exclusively focus on whether his plan is feasible and whether the government should support it.