It sure looks a lot like a political advertisement, complete with small white print at the end and a “paid for by friends of” voiceover. But T. Boone Pickens isn’t running for political office (yet). The billionaire oilman recently gave an interview with CNN on the subject of these publicity spots, which have echoes of Ross Perot’s whiteboards and heavy drawl.
He plans on turning large parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and the plains states into a giant wind farm, the goal being to reduce the need for imported oil by 38%. He wants to start with a $10 billion wind experiment in the Texas panhandle and expand from there.
Wind power is a major story in Missouri, too, thanks to the city of Rock Port. We’ll see how long 100% of the city’s power can continue to be provided by only four turbines.