Video courtesy of KNME

 

ALBUQUERQUE - T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman turned wind energy and natural gas promoter, came to Albuquerque to host the sixth in a series of Town Hall meetings on behalf of the self-titled Pickens Plan.

The ballrooms at the Albuquerque Convention Center were nearly full of people eager to learn more about the plan. In the crowd were Albuquerque City Councilors Michael Cadigan and Ken Sanchez, former Albuquerque Mayor Jim Baca, and former 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate Don Wiviott. A prominent Republican also made an appearance — of a sort. Retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici apologized for not being able to be in attendance, but introduced Pickens by video.

The plan has two main planks: One is using wind energy to provide 20 percent of the country’s electricity (Pickens actually upped the number to 22 percent while writing on his whiteboard at the Albuquerque Convention Center). The other is switching over from gasoline-powered cars to those powered by natural gas as a bridge to a future with much less reliance on imported oil.

The Pickens Plan, citing the California Energy Commission, says natural gas "produces up to 23 percent lower emissions than diesel and 30 percent lower than gasoline in the critical greenhouse gas emissions."

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (who Pickens mistakenly called "governor" twice, perhaps looking ahead to 2010) introduced Pickens to the crowd. "There may not be a lot of things we agree on…" Denish said.

Pickens quickly interjected, "You might be surprised, I’m out of politics."

The former Swiftboat-financier turned alternative energy promoter has been embraced by Democrats and environmentalists like Sierra Club President Carl Pope.

T. Boone Pickens speaking to reporters after an Albuquerque Town Hall. Photo by Matthew Reichbach Pickens took credit for the emphasis on energy in the current election, and said, "None of the candidates, since the primaries, were talking about energy,"

Pickens mainly looks at the problem of importing foreign oil as an economic concern for the United States, but also said it is a national security threat, and claims 70 percent of oil used in the United States is from foreign sources. He repeatedly said the United States spends $700 billion annually on foreign oil.

Pickens repeatedly said he isn’t averse to other energy sources. He said we must "do everything we can that has American on it," including more drilling, more nuclear energy and more solar power. This echoes a common campaign theme among both U.S. Senate candidates in New Mexico, Steve Pearce and Tom Udall.

And Pickens blamed much of the current energy crisis on Washington, D.C. He didn’t single out either party, instead he said, "The missing link for us in the last 40 years was leadership." Clearly, Pickens thinks he is the one to step into that leadership vacuum and deliver.

Pickens used Sweetwater, Texas as an example of a town where wind energy has re-energized the economy. Sweetwater is placed near large wind farms in all directions. The population of the small Texas town had dropped from 12,000 to 10,000. But after becoming a hub in the burgeoning wind energy business in Texas, the population has rebounded to 12,000. And, Pickens says, a quarter of the jobs in the town are related to wind energy.

During the questions in the Town Hall and afterwards in a small, and at times contentious, press conference with local reporters, Pickens was defensive when answering questions. He repeatedly said, "I’m an expert" when portions of his plan were criticized. During the town hall meeting, Pickens boasted, "I know the most about energy."

At the press conference, when asked if he was working with Native Americans, Pickens said, "Of course, I’ll work with anybody."

A reporter asked how the average American can get involved, and Pickens responded, "Trust me, sign up with me and we will get it done."