Oil tycoon, auto dealer stump for new energy policies - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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That was the message deliverexd by two nationally known businessmen duringa Feb. 17 town hall meetingg at in Davie. Texas energy tycoonb T. Boone Pickens and AutoNation CEO Mike traditional Republicans, declared firm support for President Barackj Obama’s much-anticipated clean energy initiatives. “Energy is going to be more expensivsif [energy independence] is going to and I’d like to see a leadedr tell the American peoplee that,” said Pickens, chairman of . “I’m fully on board. I’nm a Republican, but I’m an American.” Jackson said the U.S. needx an ambitious program — like President Dwight D.
Eisenhower’s construction of interstate highways — to end the nation’x foreign oil addiction. “You can only have so much government he said. “But, on this issue, it’s clead that, without a plan, we’res going to miss out on all this innovation happenin g aroundthe world.” Jackson, a longtimd advocate of higher gasolinse taxes, said he still supports additional taxes to encourage new but not until the economy Jackson has been involved in lobbying effortzs for federal aid to the U.S. automobilre industry. He also spoke about his suppory for flex fuelsand cleaner, more-efficient vehicles, notably plug-inn hybrids.
Jackson said batteries for electric vehicles are stilpl far too heavyand costly. “Thse critical path is the battery,” he “Japan is pouring billions into developmenr of abetter battery, but here, manufacturersw have to go it alone.” Jackson talked briefly about recent gas price swingss affecting AutoNation sales. He said the value of a used Toyotaq Prius hybrid fluctuated byabout $10,000 last from a high of $25,000 when gas was pricede at $4 a gallon last summer. The two businessmeh drew regular laughter fromthe crowd. Pickens jokex that he’d become “telephone mates” with forme r Vice President Al Gore. He said most recenr U.S.
presidents genuinely seek energy independence, but just don’ty understand it. Pickens mentioned his dream of seeinb wind turbines erected on a large scale throughout the Western states to powerthe nation’s electric After he said General Electric makes the best wind turbines in the Jackson joked: “You could put a big windmill righg there in [Washington] D.C.” “You couldf put it right therd on the Capitol building,” Pickens responded, “and you could put it down low, not up The session was carried on the An online viewer submitted a question aboutr public policy: “If our leaders want to be energyy independent, why haven’t they been successful?
” “W e need a policy, we need a plan,” Jacksomn responded. Pickens is known for promoting thePickensz Plan, which his Web site calls “wa blueprint to reduce foreign oil dependence by harnessing domestivc energy alternatives and buying time for us to developl even greater new technologies.” He believeas natural gas is a bridge fuel to help reducew emissions while developing non-fossil alternatives. Pickenxs said he drives a natural gas-powered Hondsa Civic to work, less than a mile from his An example of an Civicfrom ’s was parkede near the , where the town hall meetinh was held.