Jul 11, 2008 10:39 am US/Mountain
'Green' Gov. Likes Energy Plan From Texas Oilman
Reporting
Paul Day
DENVER (CBS4) ―
A Texas oil tycoon's solution to America's energy woes is winning praise from, of all people, Colorado's environmentally conscious governor.
"Even T. Boone Pickens has now validated the Colorado strategy for the new energy economy," Gov. Bill Ritter said.
The Pickens plan was made public Tuesday. It would broaden the use of wind power for electrical generation in the U.S.
Natural gas, which currently supplies 22 percent of the electric power in America, could then be transitioned for use as transportation fuel. By doing that, argued Pickens, America could reduce its dependence on foreign oil by a 38 percent.
"(Natural gas) is cheaper, it's cleaner and it's domestic," Pickens said.
Colorado has abundant wind as well as natural gas reserves.
Since taking office, Ritter has been a big booster of wind power.
A European company recently opened a blade factory in Northern Colorado, creating hundreds of new, well paying jobs and wind farms are now sprouting from once deserted prairie.
"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," Ritter said. "It's something we've been working on."
In a video presentation posted on his Web site (www:PickensPlan.com), the Texas oil man says natural gas is already powering some eight million vehicles worldwide.
Pickens says he'd like to see usage of the fuel expanded to airplane and truck fleets. Ritter thinks that part of Pickens plan also has merit. He points to Denver International Airport as an example of a Colorado facility already operating vehicles powered with natural gas.
"I've been involved in some discussions with automobile manufacturers about that very thing; about the transition and utilization of natural gas for vehicles," he said.
Ritter spoke to CBS4 News during a teleconference from Spain. He is on an economic development trip hoping to drum up new business for Colorado's renewable energy industry.
Ritter is hopeful. He says Colorado is competing with a few other states for a new glass factory to be built by a European company. The glass would be used to make solar panels. If Colorado wins the bid, Ritter says it would add "several hundred" new jobs to the state's work force.
Pickens was in Denver Thursday. He'll delivered the keynote address at a luncheon during the 20th annual Rocky Mountain Natural Gas Strategy Conference and Investment Forum. The gathering was at the Colorado Convention Center and sponsored by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.
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