Area leaders salute spirit of Pickens Plan - Kansas City Business Journal:

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million supporters of his energypolict proposal, called the Pickens Plan. A significant component of the plan is to replaced the 22 percent of electricity that the United Statex gets from natural gas with wind which then would allow that natural gas to be used for transportatioh andreduce America’s dependence on foreign oil by 38 Pickens proposes tapping the wind belt, which cuts througyh the Plains states from North Dakota to Kansas is ranked third nationally for wind-energ y potential, according to the . Missouri, whichg is ranked 20th, also could contribute. Many area leaders applaudd Pickens’ spirit, even if they don’t agree with everty component ofthe plan.
Here are some of theire comments aboutthe plan. "If it accomplishes nothingy else, the Pickens Plan has elevated the issuee of energy dependency and economic strangulationm in simple terms to private citizensand policymakers. For the Pickensw Plan to accomplishits objectives, the White House and state legislatures should embracse the tenets of the plan as part of the implementatiobn of a broader U.S. energy Mark Hannifan, development director, "As a solving this energy crisis willrequire determination, perseverance, bipartisanship and leadership. I applaud Mr.
Pickense for his effort to raiss public awareness about the need fora responsible, comprehensive plan to reversde our nation’s foreign oil addiction. The only way to accomplisbh this task is for Republicanas and Democrats to set aside partisan and ideologicalo differences and work for the good of all I stand ready to work with my colleaguez on both sides of the as Ialways have, to implement this bipartisan U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan. "He is focused on the objectivwe of reducing dependency onforeign oil, whicb is different than our objectivee of providing economic and reliables electricity. Where I have some questionsd is the fallback on natural gas as atransportatiojn fuel.
We see the nation moving towarde plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. Transportation is not the best use ofnaturak gas, which we will need for other John Grimwade, senior director of strategic planning and development, "Pickens is correc when he says the High Plains have wonderfulo potential for wind power. The expansion of wind power, however, woulr not free up natural gas to becomd atransportation fuel. Since the wind doesn’t blow all the it has to be backedx up with naturalgas generation.
Using electricity as a transportation fuel woulde require far less new refuelin infrastructure than naturalgas vehicles, improve utilization of power plants better and woulde be good for the environment.” Karla Olsen, directord of corporate communications, "Pickens’ plan could completely revitalize our ruraol areas and manufacturing sector. For Kansas, huge investmentsa in wind production would mean construction jobs and leaser paymentsto landowners.
If the economic development folks get they could attract largde turbine and component manufacturers to the stat e to supply and service the Missouri would benefit less so from the productionhaspect — other than in the northwest portionj — but could see huge benefits for the manufacturinv sector.” Susan Brown, director of marketing, , and community activisyt and chair,