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T. Boone Pickens to appear at Lancaster Event Center

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Aug 15, 2008 - 04:36:31 pm CDT



T. Boone Pickens is bringing his Pickens Plan for energy independence to the Lancaster Event Center, 4100 N. 84th St., at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

 Pickens, who made billions as an oil developer and investor,  has been on a $58 million publicity tour to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Story Photo
T. Boon Pickens (center) talks to people about his plan to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil during a town hall meeting in McAlester, Okla., on Wednesday. (AP)

He is promoting his plan to erect wind turbines in the Midwest to generate electricity, replacing the 22 percent of U.S. power produced from natural gas. The freed-up natural gas then could be used for transportation.

The Lincoln appearance is part of what his organization calls a town hall meeting series “across the wind belt”

since launching the Pickens Plan (www.pickensplan.com) on July 8.

Doors open to the public at 9:30 a.m.    Admission is free. 

There was some confusion about the date Pickens would appear in Lincoln,  because of mistaken information transmitted by those publicizing the event.  But the Pickens organization confirmed Friday that it is to be on Wednesday.  

For the Pickens appearance, Clear Communication Partners of Omaha is paying the event center a setup fee of $475, plus $950 for a one-day show, said Event Center Managing Director Ron Snover.

On its Web site, Clear Communication Partners describes itself a full-service marketing and political consulting firm.

Its principals include Gary  DiSilvestro,  formerly on the staff of U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, according to the Web site.


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Ignignokt wrote on August 15, 2008 11:21 am:
" How many windmills would $58 million buy? "

 Bob wrote on August 15, 2008 12:18 pm:
" Not nearly as many that will be bought in the next 10 years by the general public as energy awareness has finally gone mainstream. BTW...I think he can afford it. Any thoughts on his agenda or is it a bad thing that he suggests we become less dependant on foreign energy? "

 How Many wrote on August 15, 2008 12:31 pm:
" 23 windmills.

58 million is a pittance to promote his idea. Besides, he put up 2 Billion of his money for a windmill farm in Texas... "

 Just Say No wrote on August 15, 2008 12:43 pm:
" How much more profit would he realizeif both of these investments were to be directed into his pocket? Hundreds of Billion$ ? Mass conservation and mass transportation remain the most environmental and energy efficient ways to reduce dependence on Middle East oil. "

 john q wrote on August 15, 2008 12:43 pm:
" It's his money, what does it matter to you. "

 follow the money wrote on August 15, 2008 12:44 pm:
" So, what's in it for Pickens if people start buying into this stuff??? "

 Kent wrote on August 15, 2008 1:12 pm:
" I am not sure but it will buy a lot of publicity, which is what he spent on pub. "

 Roger wrote on August 15, 2008 1:18 pm:
" OMG someone with a real plan. Wind generation will work but it's as new of idea as ethanol. The only reason we burn oil is because the Rockefellers found out oil could be used for something other than a lamp. The first internal combustion engine ran on ethanol wake up and smell the coffee for god sakes people. "

 Not A Lot wrote on August 15, 2008 1:20 pm:
" Unfortunately, wind turbines are not cheap. Figuring in the ballpark of 2.5 to 3.5 million apiece, it would probably buy 15 to 20 commercial grade wind turbines (http://www.windustry.org/how-much-do-wind-turbines-cost). Each large (2 megawatt) turbine, at 3.5 million, would be able to provide power for roughly 200 homes. $58 million would buy 16 to 17 of these, powering roughly 3,300 homes.

While there is no fuel cost associated with operating them, there is a high maintenance tag. Because of their size, there is a lot of stress on the blades and the gear box, which require annual maintenance and eventual replacement.

I think wind could be an excellent renewable energy source, but people need to realize that the expenses don't end once you build one. "

 Listen wrote on August 15, 2008 1:43 pm:
" Mr.Pickens is trying to speak his way into a good investment. Let someone who doesn't have a monetary interest in alternative energy promote the idea. If I had billions tied to an investment, you bet I would be hitting the road telling folks this is the wave of the future. "

 Scott wrote on August 15, 2008 1:51 pm:
" $58 million would be about 6 windmills, according this critique of Pickens' plan.

http://www.physics.uci.edu/~silverma/pickensplan.pdf "

 Mike wrote on August 15, 2008 1:51 pm:
" "to Listen"

Unfortunately no one is going to listen to just any joe schmoe. Besides, who cares if he stands to make money off of his project. That is what free enterprise is all about. He is encouraging others to do it in markets he is no part of, or that would be competition to him. Now, why would he do that? Because, he believes that for America to remain a power player in the global economy, we have to be as self sufficient as possible. "

 Kay wrote on August 15, 2008 1:53 pm:
" With the way the wind blows in this state it really seems to be a no brainer to erect wind turbine to harness the power.

Let's do it! "

 What a joke wrote on August 15, 2008 1:58 pm:
" Wind power is as bid a boondoogle as ethanol. Even if the windmills and all the related transmission lines were free, there still is the question of what to do when the wind doesn't blow. The same applies to solar power and what to do when the sun doesn't shine or at night. There are two options, the first is complete lack or electricity (rolling blackouts) or second to have a secondary or backup source of electricity. When the wind/soloar isn't producing, your backup power source will have to be ready to go right away. This means either natural gas or diesel generators. Coal power or nuclear power is first used to boil water into steam and then the steam turns turbines which turn the generators. What this means is that this takes time, you don't just flip a switch and instantly generate electricity from a cold (shutdown) coal or nuclear plant. I guess you could keep the coal/nuclear plant all fired up/running and just not have the generator kicked in, but this won't save any greenhouse gas emisions. This is why wind/solar is such a joke, in order to have the necessary and inevitable backup generators ready to go for instant available power there will be no reduction in coal/nuclear use. "

 Just Say What wrote on August 15, 2008 2:16 pm:
" I wonder just when we will see this guy toos his hat into the political arean now. He's got his name before the public in a BIG way. And it appears that he has the money to buy any office he wants to. "

 Gary wrote on August 15, 2008 2:26 pm:
" It's interesting how we tend to look at the negative on any new idea. What we all tend to miss is that the cost may not be the culprit, the lack of available energy over time will be our downfall. As far as we know today wind tends to be renewable where oil and gas are not. Why not get the windmills up and running before we run out of viable options. Sure Mr. Pickens will make a lot of money off the project, at least he's offering a solution and has the capital to get a project of this magnitude rolling. I'm sure we'll all be able to invest in some phase to share the wealth. A good mantra for us all..."Don't complain about it unless you are willing to offer and support a viable solution". "

 Uhm wrote on August 15, 2008 2:27 pm:
" "what a joke"

you should read a little more about how these energies work. They absolutely are not intended to replace - they are intended to reduce. "

 To What A Joke wrote on August 15, 2008 2:38 pm:
" As I understand it most solary energy systems are equipped to handle cloudy days. I don't know exactly haow it works, but they are able to sav energy, presumably in a battery type cell which can then be used for cloudy days. You'd only need a generator if it became cloudy continuously or a prolonged time. I assume wind turbines would have a similar contingency plan. "

 Joke wrote on August 15, 2008 2:38 pm:
" Try and keep up. MIT is working on it and is getting closer. Here is the link to the recent publication from MIT. Solar power will become more viable as the research intensifies and evolves. Wind is not the best but will help. Solar and hydrogen are coming, possibly from the same place.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html "

 Mike in DC wrote on August 15, 2008 2:41 pm:
" Of course. NE is a public power state. Do I need to connect the dots? "

 Yup wrote on August 15, 2008 3:19 pm:
" If you're interested, it's free and all you're losing is your time. If we sit and do nothing, than we'll be debating this 20 years later and not have accomplished anything. So it's not going to replace oil entirely, so ethanol or solar won't either, but it's a start. It isn't a joke, the only joke is someone who is so closed minded that they won't consider anything but the present way of doing things. I certainly don't have a better idea, but neither do some of you who say it's a joke. If you do have an idea, lets hear it. The kids that came through Lincoln a few months ago driving a vehicle that was powered by used cooking oil had an idea. It's not actually practical, but it worked for them. Good ideas will get us out of oil dependency. "

 Jason wrote on August 15, 2008 3:24 pm:
" Yes you need backup power but with current weather technology the operators of the energy grid would have a pretty good idea of what kind of wind to expect in the next 36-48 hours and plan accordingly. I'm not coal plant operator but I imaging you could run it at a minimum level and then crank it up to meet needs as required. If you know in 36 hours the winds are going to die down, you start cranking up production 12 hours in advance. For those of you saying the local weatherman can't predict when it is going to rain, that is a far cry harder than trying to predict wind. "

 Dustin wrote on August 15, 2008 4:00 pm:
" This guy is the man! Forget Buffet, he's not doing anything but profiting from coal, trains and insurance. At least somebody is doing something to improve the nations energy crisis as a whole. "

 Nash wrote on August 15, 2008 4:31 pm:
" Check the math, but if mentioned data is correct then a homeowner could expect to pay at minimum $420 + finance fees/year for thirty years to pay for a turbine with 200 other folks. That doesn’t include maintenance and having to buy supplemental electricity when the wind isn’t blowing. Seems like LES would start to come out with programs to attract people, or are we waiting for Ben Nelson’s Gang of 10 to come up with a subsidy...like $50,000 per turbine to get people to invest in this source for electricity? "

 Digger wrote on August 15, 2008 4:32 pm:
" As always - mis information is rampant. I got the call last night at home asking if they could reserve a seat for me at the Lancaster Event Center. The caller just peed his pants when I asked two questions. 1 - if wind energy is "free" after the wind tower is put up - how do you pay for transmission, maintenance and energy supplements on the 77% amount of time a windmill is not producing (no wind, maintenance,etc) 2 - If Wind energy is "the solution" - how will you reduce, with wind, the oil use for my SUV and America's automobiles? Wind is a TOOL and a piece of the puzzle - but nothing more. Get me a tower that the public can put up for $5K and then lets talk. "

 Nebraskan wrote on August 15, 2008 6:59 pm:
" So this is for real! I just got a phone call this evening...the caller had to repeat herself 3 times before I could understand what she was talking about...the Pickens Plan. Her voice had sort of a drawl and I thought she was advertising some kind of hillbilly jamboree!!! Then I get online and see that there really is a T Boone Pickens and a Pickens Plan. (Wouldn't that be a great name for a fiddle group?) "

 Terry wrote on August 15, 2008 9:02 pm:
" We have to look at the big picture. Yes we will still and always need oil to operate our vehicles. But not as much as we currently are using. The nice thing for the farmers are that they can lease out a area of their fields and still grow crops around the sight. And for rural Nebraska towns it will bring in jobs and revenue. Someone has to build them. The employees either locally or are brought in have to have a place to sleep, eat, buy supplies, PAY TAXES. In addition, the people nearby communities get a reduction in their utility bills. I saw an interview with the Chairman of Exon. He agrees with the Pickens Plan. The bottom line is we need to look at other means all across the board. Solar and wind are natural. Oil and coal means drilling and digging. Tearing up the land and causing pollution. How many people are killed yearly on rigs and coal mines compared to solar pannels and windmills?? In time the masses will all be able to have windmills and solar pannels on our houses. Only the few like Jed and Granny can have black gold or Texas tea in the back yard. I'm following what Mr. Pickens has to say. How come you don't hear the complaing on oil prices toward Canada! Isn't that where we get alot of our fuel?? "

 Larry wrote on August 15, 2008 10:27 pm:
" Pickens is too vague on use of natural gas and inflationary effects the shifted use will have on people who rely on natural gas to heat their homes. Already Japan faces aprice increase of 80 per cent for liquid natural gas for the coming winter. Just imagine if transportation used natural gas and how that would affect heating bills across the nation. The impact would be substantial and take a significant bite out of everyone's income; especially the retired folks on fixed incomes "

 Pro-Boones wrote on August 16, 2008 10:43 am:
" I think some people may be confused by reading this article. When it says Mr. Pickens is spending %58 million that doesn't mean thats his investment money into the plan, that is simply the advertising and marketing bill he is spending to promote the plan. He has bought air time on cable and local stations across the midwest in order to promote this plan.

Also Mr. Pickens is the man who bought the Oklahoma State University Athletic Dept. their new facilities which are on par with our own here at UNL.

Finally, it is self serving to spend a bunch of money on a plan and ask for the people and their government to subsidize the field you plan to invest in, but the fact of the matter is. No other business man or politician has the balls to put so much on the line for a plan like this.

P.S. According to Politico.com Pickens has talked to Buffet about investing in his plan as well, so keep an eye on him as well. "

 Ros wrote on August 16, 2008 1:06 pm:
" I look forward to seeing all of you commenters who are able to attend to show up on Wednesday and raise your points in public dialogue with Mr. Pickens. Let's have some healthy and robust public discussion on the ideas that he's promoting. "

 Kent wrote on August 16, 2008 2:39 pm:
" People, the money listed is money spent on publicity. Again, it is for publicity. He is spending that much on pub. He will invest a lot more, along with others, into the project.

There is no replacing here. It will reduce our need for natural gas. It could potentially cause competition with energy companies (can you imagine?), make it cheaper for small town people by either: lowering the strain for the big cities so it is cheaper for the small town, or providing energy for the small towns itself.
Etc etc etc.

This can only help. We need more sources of energy too. Investing in solar power would be great as well. The more we diversify the better off we will be. Why wait to catch up with the other states? Let them catch up with us. "

 Greg wrote on August 20, 2008 9:32 am:
" It was Picken's money that financed the infamous "Swiftboat" ads, attacks so untrue and scurrilous that "Swiftboating" has entered the lexicon as a description of the use of malicious, distorted. or false charges in political attacks. With this in mind, why should we believe anything this man says? "

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