After his appearance today before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, T. Boone is the talk of Washington D.C. Here’s what some notables are saying.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut):
Pickens is somebody who’s in the oil business. He arrived in time to tell us we can’t drill our way out of this problem. He’s for using oil and gas as a bridge to what he, quite directly, says is the “non-hydrocarbon energy future.”He is ahead of us in Congress, so I thought his testimony was educational and, I hope, motivational.
Sen. John Inhofe (R-Oklahoma):
“The Pickens Plan is a bold and achievable approach to meeting our nation’s energy challenges,” Senator Inhofe said. “Like Pickens, I believe tomorrow’s energy mix must include the development and expansion of natural gas and wind energy production. Importantly, however, I believe we must utilize all domestic energy resources including not only natural gas and renewable energy, but also oil, coal, and nuclear energy. Developing and expanding domestic energy resources will translate into energy security and will ensure stable sources of supply and well-paying jobs for Oklahomans and Americans.”
Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado):
“Its good to hear a person like T. Boone Pickens make that kind of announcement about what he would like to see as a national strategy. It’s something we’ve been working on.”
Debbie Mesioh, Missouri Communications Director for the Obama campaign:
“Pickens’ proposal to break our addiction to foreign oil and significantly ramp up our investments in renewable energy is precisely in line with what Obama has proposed in his comprehensive energy plan.”
Steve Forbes, McCain campaign adviser, speaking to CBS News:
CBSNews.com: Do you disagree with Senator McCain on ANWR?
Steve Forbes: On ANWR, I do. But I agree with him on offshore and nuclear. And that’s where most of the new energy resources are. And that doesn’t preclude doing other things. For example, Boone Pickens has a very bold program for massive wind farms in Texas and elsewhere. So you do all of the above: wind, offshore, onshore, nuclear, and we can make substantial progress.