“Our dependence on imported oil is killing our economy. It is the single biggest problem facing America today,” T. Boone Pickens said. “As we import more and more of our energy, we are participating in the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind, sending billions of our dollars overseas to buy oil for a commodity that lasts 90 days until burned in our gas tanks.”

Energy independence is a topic that all of America is getting comfortable talking about. Had Al Gore not taken such a strong stance on global environment issues, America may have still considered this topic a controversy. It was 2007 when Gore walked away with the genius Nobel Peace Prize for his hit controversial movie, An Inconvenient Truth. This movie helped inspire an epidemic of concern for the environment. By 2008, buying organic or “going green” was the latest selling point to every product. It has opened up a whole new market of producers and consumers – with a reasonable point and a highly considerable idea –to take the individual responsibility for Earth’s resources.

America only makes up four percent of the world’s population, but uses 24% of the world’s energy. Texas billionaire, oil tycoon and strong backer of the Republican Party, T. Boone Pickens, has also come up with a plan to push towards congressional passage for energy independence.
Pickens’ Plan is a proposal towards the increased use of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy, ultimately reducing our country’s foreign oil dependence. Although both Gore and Pickens share the same ideals in lessening America’s dependence on fossil fuels, Gore’s plan is an environmental priority to solve the climate crisis overall. Yet, Pickens sees his plan as a “bridge to where Al wants to go”, even though his number one priority is in his expertise: oil.
He has put up a $58 million marketing campaign to push foreign oil off the map and charter it back to the domestic energy sources in the US. These two unlikely allies might want to connect more often. Both seem to also agree that the proven technology of wind generators should be invested in. It would be most practical on belt of rural Middle America, where wind is a natural abundance and can easily be transported both east and west. These generators stand 410 feet tall and have 148 ft turning blades that collect the wind’s kinetic energy. In one year, a 3-megawatt wind turbine produces as much energy as 12,000 barrels of imported oil. With wind facilities creating 20% of the electricity needed for the United States, and creating independence from our electricity and energy supply, natural gas vehicles would be introduced into the market as a substitute for vehicles that run off of foreign oil.

Both plans are on the right path to consider and create energy independence because each can create a low-carbon economy, also called a clean energy economy. This means thousands of new jobs and new companies.