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Billionaire Pickens draws crowd of diverse opinions

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BY LISA MUNGER / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008 - 06:22:25 pm CDT

More than 1,200 people — driving gas-guzzling trucks, Toyota Prius hybrids and everything in between — sought new answers to high energy costs from oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens on Wednesday.

High school students and retirees, farmers in bib overalls, and executives and professionals in suits packed the Lancaster Event Center, which lacked available seats by the time Pickens took the stage.

As Pickens scrawled his plan for energy independence on a large white board with a marker, people recorded his pie charts, figures and stats using notepads and the backs of checkbooks.

Story Photo
Specators filled the chairs provided at the Lancaster Event Center with the overflow standing at the rear of the hall as Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens talked about his plan for energy independence Wednesday. (Eric Gregory)

“This is all about America,” he said. “It’s not about politics.”

A Mike Johanns for Senate supporter sat next to a woman with an Obama for President sticker bound to her binder.

Stickers of a variety of political persuasions graced the bumpers in the parking lot.

Inside the convention center, people had plenty to say about the Republican billionaire turned Al Gore confidante and adviser to presidential candidates:

* “I believe in him,” said Maxine Messing of Lincoln. “We have to get off of oil any way we can or the whole planet is going to be like Beijing.”

* “The future depends on what the world does with energy,” said Anna Tyler, 18, of Lincoln. “It makes everything fluctuate.”

* “We need to use less oil. It doesn’t matter who is saying it; we need to use less oil and coal,” said John Mekota of Crete, an adjunct lecturer for Doane College. 

* “I’m surprised to see a big oil man swap horses, but I presume he’s a good American and that’s the reason why he’s changed,” said Don Crecelius of Lincoln, who is retired from the Nebraska Public Power District power plant in Hallam.

* “Anything American is good; everything needs to be on the table,” said Mike Johanns, Republican U.S. Senate candidate. “This is being environmental the responsible way, through renewables, solar energy.”

* “There is tremendous potential to develop energy sources in the U.S. — oil, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels — but there has been a failure of leadership in Washington,” said Scott Kleeb, U.S. Senate candidate and a Democrat. “American ingenuity can help solve energy problems.”

Reach Lisa Munger at 473-7107 or lmunger@journalstar.com.


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Pickens Scam wrote on August 20, 2008 6:38 pm:
" No, Pickens' scam is to invest his money in advertising. The advertising will convince suckers to subsidize his private venture (the Speaker of the House is another investor, look it up) with a whole lot of taxpayer money, driving up the value of their stock - before he even builds a single windmill. Then he sells out, and leaves you holding the bag. If you don't fall for it, he'll lose big time! He wants to move your money into his wallet.

Domestic drilling, oil shale, tar sands, domestic coal, more US refineries, and nuke plants will serve us better than his pinwheel scam. "

 Wondering wrote on August 20, 2008 7:18 pm:
" **How come Mike Johanns cannot say the words *Conserve Energy*. He is a self-proclaimed "conservative". But does not believe or encourage any form of "energy conservation". During WWII the conservaties was instrumental in conserving fuel,raw products for the "war cause". But in this day the "Conservatives". Promote consuption, along with massive subsidies for corporations. Republicans are Republicans that is it. We have not had a true conservative since Nixon. "

 Master Plan wrote on August 20, 2008 7:19 pm:
" Thank you Pickens Scam. You said it all right there. This guy is not looking out for us and what is best for this country. Pickens is not a billionaire because he is a stupid man. If anyone was smart they would do there research into wind turbine power. All you have to do is look at the two we have in north Lincoln they only run 25% of the year if that.

You want to save money at the pump and at home start drilling, build refineries, and nuclear power plants. This country has oil everywhere we just need the tree huggers to back off so we can get to it. Pumping oil in our own country is better and safer for the earth then having floating across the world in a ship. A oil well leaves vary little of a footprint when there done. We can use our own oil till we find a better way to power our need to drive. Until then we need to look out of number 1 wake up people. "

 Darren wrote on August 20, 2008 8:34 pm:
" Oil everywher? Go grab a shovel and start diging in your back yard. Let me know when you hit oil. "

 Roger wrote on August 20, 2008 8:45 pm:
" Born in Lincoln Ne 1912 didnt trust outsiders then, certainly not now! good
riddens T. Bone Pickins dont let the Nebraska door hit you in the you know what! "

 thanks for missing the point wrote on August 20, 2008 9:28 pm:
" Master Plan--using your own logic: just because windmills don't work in Lincoln then we should stop pumping for oil nationwide immediately since Lincoln doesn't have its own. Using Lincoln's wind turbines as an example for anything other than a hurried, failed attempt at something is about as short sighted as the people who pushed to build them here. Lincoln is in one of the worse areas for wind power. Also, Boone isn't looking for any investors in his wind farm in Texas. He doesn't need to--it's coming from his own pocket. The thing he is asking government to do is to move forward and begin interconnecting the power grids so power from wind rich areas can actually reach the market where it's needed.

If most people would take the time to actually read his website (pickensplan.com) beyond the first page you would learn that wind power is only a small part of his plan. He is for any other method of energy production there is, including nuclear. The problem is nuclear plants take years to build and to get online. Same with drilling off of our coasts and in ANWR. The push for wind is simply because of the short time frame in which you can get a farm up and running.

Please people--take the time to educate yourselves on this topic rather than making quick assumptions and opinions and turning them into fact. The future of the country is at stake here, and waiting for the politicians to quick bickering amongst themselves and lead the way out of this will take far too long. The sooner we can come together as citizens of this country rather than making it a Republican or Democratic battle the sooner we can get away from the enslavement of foreign oil. "

 I agree with Roger wrote on August 20, 2008 9:37 pm:
" Those damn outsiders anyways! Who do they think they are with their fancy suits and daily bathing?!?! We need to cut off all roads in and out of Lincoln and just go back to our horse and buggies!! "

 Master Plan wrote on August 20, 2008 10:54 pm:
" Thanks for missing the point.. I got the point of Pikens plan. You have not. Maybe you should do your home work on wind turbine power units. I can put my plans on a website to sell you anything and make it sound really good. Pickens is going to sell this power back to local power companys at the going rate for power if not more. It will not save anyone money on there bills. He is not stupid he will make his money in the end. People need to wake up and if it sounds to good then it is. Oh and im not using LES wind tubins as a point. If the wind blows here what do you think it does in Texas smart guy. LOL

Nuclear power plants and drilling for oil will not take the years and years the Dems says it will. There are drill units ready to drill right now. They just drilled a hole in the Artic Ocean and hit Natural Gas in a month. In fact they drilled two holes. Trust me buddy if there is money to be made it will get done faster then you think. "

 open your eyes wrote on August 21, 2008 6:10 am:
" Open your eyes people. Wind energy is so abundant in the state of Nebraska and we are just letting it go. The wind generators south of Lincoln are nowhere close to being as efficient as the ones produced today. Nebraska is full of people that are so stuck in the past having the mind set that if it's not something that their grandparents used than it's not right. T. Boone is a smart business man. But, just because he is rich does not mean he is wrong. The state of Nebraska needs wind farms now. I am tired of my electric rates being raised 6%-12% a year when my wages are only seeing a 3% a year raise. Break our dependency on oil. "

 WCG wrote on August 21, 2008 7:29 am:
" Weird, isn't it, how the 'oil everywhere' crowd are convinced there's a bottomless pit of oil and we can just draw on it forever and ever. Free refills! Someone should tell these people that we live on a planet. But I suppose it's easy to believe what you want to believe, huh?

I have to say it's pretty funny to see Mike Johanns try to leap in front of the parade and pretend to be leading. Hah! What has his Bush administration been doing for the past eight years (when oil went from less than $20 a barrel to more than $150, and the value of a U.S. dollar dropped by 40%)? Johanns has been part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Our current politicians have failed us. Or, more accurately, WE have failed America and the world by electing them. We preferred to hear nice-sounding lies instead of the solid truth, we listened to character-assassination rather than pay attention to the issues, and we allowed ourselves to be overly frightened by a few religious terrorists. (When did we Americans become such cowards, anyway?) It's embarrassing, isn't it? But we CAN change, if we have the will and the strength of character. "

 Patrick Jones wrote on August 21, 2008 7:56 am:
" Here is a good article explaining why there is a lot of reason to be skeptical of Pickens and his plan:

http://www.alternet.org/environment/95471/why_t._boone_pickens%27_%27clean_energy%27_plan_is_a_ponzi_scheme/ "

 SH wrote on August 21, 2008 7:57 am:
" Mike Johannes had a study on wind energy for Nebraska and said it was NOT economically feasible. The first Mike introduced as Ag Secretary was to subsidize wind energy with subsidies from the farm bill. Boone Pickens is after the tax dollars that are needed to make wind energy feasible. "

 Curious wrote on August 21, 2008 8:02 am:
" http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/95471

Another view. Pickens is a multi-billionaire. He plans to stay that way. He plans to get lots more of our money. Even if he has to convince the public he is a good guy. "

 GO PICKENS wrote on August 21, 2008 8:15 am:
" WCG is right...If you really look at the pickens plan, he to agrees that drilling for oil here in the U.S. has to happen, but being the smart man that he is, realizes that we have to find alternative energy since drilling our own domestic oil is only a temporary solution for 20-30 years! Like WCG says, our oil reserves are not every where, and they are not bottomless pits. I fully support pickens for putting his self earned millions out there to help the U.S. get out of this bind that we are in. So what if he is to profit from his plan, at least his money will stay in this country to help benefit us rather than fund terrorist countries trying to harm us. And MASTER PLAN... it is very hard to take your comments seriously when you can't decifer between possesion and location. Possesion would be "their" and location would be "there" "

 dis-service wrote on August 21, 2008 9:31 am:
" interesting articles on alternet, thanks. it occurs to me that maybe pickens' plan is doing a dis-service to 'legitimate' progress in breaking our fossil fuel addiction. some folks are going to resist legitimate progress because pickens will profit and therefore alternative energy sources are bad. "

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