As the Republican Convention gets underway in Tampa this week, I want to share with you a copy of the Pickens Plan ad we will be running to raise awareness about energy issues with candidates and delegates who are attending the convention.

The ad says:

“Energy is the defining issue for America’s future, and it has been for over 40 years. OPEC oil has dictated our foreign policy and at times crippled our domestic economy. Even today we are dependent on other countries’ oil for over 60% of our country’s needs. We compete against the Chinese government for it, and they go hat in hand to OPEC and pay whatever they demand. We risk the lives of American soldiers and spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to keep oil flowing through the Straits of Hormuz. It’s time to sober up and work our way out of this hole before it’s really too late.”

“We must use the resources we have to strengthen our nation’s economy and national security. That means creating demand for our ever-expanding domestic reserves of natural gas in heavy-duty transportation. Doing just that will create nearly a half million American jobs and cut our OPEC oil dependence in half in less than a decade. Four years ago I introduced the Pickens Plan to move this agenda forward. We’re making progress, and have gained more than 1.7 million supporters who are looking to Washington to get the job done. America’s future will be brighter if we act now.”

“It’s not rocket science. It’s leadership.”

I was recently asked to weigh in on the energy plan Mitt Romney unveiled last week. His 21-page plan does not call for tax credits or other financial support for the natural gas industry, but it does cite specifically an example of how the private sector is making massive investments in natural gas infrastructure.

Romney’s plan needs more work, but it is a start. We need to keep pushing candidates on both sides of the aisle to not only come up with an energy plan to reduce our dependence on OPEC oil, but to actually implement that plan after the election is over.

I’ll continue to keep you posted.

-Boone