Pickens Plan

The PickensPlan is a program launched in July 2008 by Texas oil industry figure T. Boone Pickens promoting "energy independence" from "foreign oil" for the United States.

The Plan
The key elements of the plan include :
 * the promotion of the construction of wind power stations from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota. His plan states that this "could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States at a cost of $1 trillion. It would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns";


 * promoting natural gas and bio-fuels for transportation;


 * argues that, as gas is currently used to generate 22% of U.S. electricity, the use of wind for electricity would "give us the flexibility to shift natural gas away from electricity generation and put it to use as a transportation fuel".

The PR Behind the Plan
In support of his plan Pickens has launched a $60 million marketing campaign in support of his plan and has hired Benjamin Ginsberg and Joshua Greene. O'Dwyers PR Daily reported in September 2008 that "Ginsberg was national counsel to the two Bush-Cheney campaigns, and played a major role in the Florida recount fiasco of `00. Greene worked for New York City Democratic congressmen Jerry Nadler and Eliot Engel."

O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that Pickens had hired Patton Boggs "to win Washington support for his PickensPlan program designed to wean this country off foreign oil" and that he had used Sloane & Co for the Luly 2008 launch of the plan and the Washington D.C-based North Bridge Communications.

Contact Details
Website: http://www.pickensplan.com/index.php

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Oil industry