The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the major newspaper in the Peach State, published a joint Op-Ed by U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and T. Boone Pickens, the founder of the Pickens Plan. The essay was titled, “Tap natural gas to sap OPEC’s clout” and ran on Saturday, July 30, 2010.
In the essay, they explain that the “Next Generation Energy Security Act (S. 3535) will
“have a real and immediate impact on the generation of electricity through the development of nuclear, wind and solar sources; on advancing the use of battery power for automobiles; and on how we use our enormous natural gas resources to reduce our reliance on OPEC oil.”
Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil has been the central tenet of the Pickens Plan since it was introduced two years ago.
While Sen. Chambliss and Mr. Pickens point out that we will not be able to completely “move America off fossil fuels,” S. 3535 will include,
“strong incentives to build, buy and operate electric vehicles and directs the appropriate Cabinet departments to study barriers to their continued development and deployment.”
The men explain the need for this legislation by writing:
“We are sending about a billion dollars per day, every day, out of the country to purchase oil. We import a significant amount of oil from Canada and Mexico, which helps their economies and our own. But the money we are sending to countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Angola and Venezuela (the other four of our top six oil providers) may well be used to defeat America’s broader international goals.”
They write that they are hopeful this legislation will demonstrate
the need for a debate and for bipartisan agreement and movement on this critical issue.
The essay concludes with this call to action by the Congress:
It’s time for us to get serious about getting off OPEC oil and using our own resources.
To read the entire essay in the Atlanta Journal Constitution click HERE
— The Pickens Team