T. Boone Pickens plan to reduce oil use

Link from Jack.

I'm 80 years old and I've been an oilman for almost 60 years. I've drilled more dry holes and also found more oil than just about anyone in the industry. With all my experience, I've never been as worried about our energy security as I am now. Like many of us, I ignored what was happening. Now our country faces what I believe is the most serious situation since World War II.

If we don't do anything about this problem, over the next 10 years we will spend around $10 trillion importing foreign oil. That is $10 trillion leaving the U.S. and going to foreign nations, making it what I certainly believe will be the single largest transfer of wealth in human history.

Read more In the Wall Street Journal.

Pickens believes the United States can cut oil imports by a third within a decade with wholesale construction of wind turbines across the Great Plains. The electricity produced can then be used to shut down natural gas power plants so we can use natural gas for transportation, though I'm surprised to see Pickens claim that natural gas in the United States is "abundant" and "cheap" since U.S. gas production peaked last year and prices are at record levels.

Locally, more and more people are taking public transportation to reduce their reliance on imported oil. Here's what Caltrain looked like this week during my commutes.


Murph attended the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Bikes On Board subcommittee meeting, where they discussed SFBC's response to Caltrain's Bicycle Master Plan. I plan to attend the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition meeting tomorrow night in Mountain View, where we'll discuss the same thing.

On a related note, bikes on board the Highway 17 Express service is on the agenda for this Friday's meeting of the Santa Cruz Metro Board of Directors. I spoke with Board Vice Chair Dene Bustichi this week about the issue -- he didn't commit to anything but I hope I was able to convey the importance of bikes on board the bus.