Rep. Larson and Boone Pickens in Washington.
H.R. 1835 has 68 cosponsors, including Republicans and Democrats. How are you building such broad bipartisan support?
When you have people like Thomas Friedman and T. Boone Pickens coming from different perspectives, and yet they arrive at the same point and with the same conclusion, that tell me a lot. And that’s why I think this bill is going to pass. And that’s why I think it continues to gain momentum in Congress. We’re pushing it both through Democratic leadership and also in Congress. I’m hopeful that we’re going to have a number of Republicans that come onboard.
There are so many simple steps we can take right away.
I just met with [Energy] Secretary Chu and was talking with him about mail trucks. I said, “Why aren’t mail trucks utilizing either natural gas or fuel cell technology? Let’s pilot those. Let’s get them out there.”
Converting one refuse truck from diesel to natural gas is the equivalent of taking as many as 325 cars off the road in terms of pollution reduction.
Some people will say, “It’s a little costly.”
It is not as costly as continuing to export our dollars abroad. It’s not as costly as filling up the coffers of our enemies.
Isn’t that incredible? We’re funding both sides of the War on Terrorism?
Thomas Freidman makes a great point. He said we have an energy policy that essentially should be called “Leave No Mullah Behind.” We end up not only exporting dollars abroad, but then the madrasas take the money and send that to train terrorists and to vomit hate about America. So we have to fund our troops, export the dollars abroad, and then we’re providing the money for the mullahs to send the money to the terrorists. What sense does that make?
The point is there’s not a single answer. There are many.
As Boone says, whether it’s natural gas, whether it’s wind, whether it’s photovoltaic, whether it’s geothermal, whether it’s fuel cells, whether it’s drilling, whether it’s clean coal, nuclear – we’re going to need everything. Let’s just get the job done on behalf of the American people.
I gather you’re bringing that message to Hartford.
That’s right. We’re looking forward to welcoming Boone to Connecticut for a Pickens Plan town hall meeting this summer. Afterwards, I’m even going to spring and bring T. Boone to Augie and Ray’s in East Hartford. He’ll love an old hot dog joint like Augie and Ray’s.
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CONDENSED, AND EDITED BY ERIC O’KEEFE