Last year, when oil prices reached $140 a barrel, America was spending about $700 [image-nocss] billion for foreign oil, equaling the greatest transfer of wealth in human history, Pickens said. That figure has decreased some while oil prices have retreated, but the U.S. is still dependent on foreign nations for nearly 70% of its oil, representing a continuing national security and national economic threat.
Pickens joined a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders in the House and the Senate at the U.S. Capitol Building to recognize legislation supporting the sale and use of vehicles that run on domestic natural gas. Pickens appeared with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senators Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to introduce the NAT GAS Act. Pickens also joined Representatives Dan Boren (D-Okla.), John Larson (D-Conn.) and John Sullivan (R-Okla.) and several other bipartisan cosponsors of HR 1835, the NAT GAS Act, introduced on April 1 of this year.
"From here on, July 8 will be recognized as Energy Independence Day, honoring the dedicated members of the Pickens Plan, our leaders in Washington who are taking action to promote energy reform, and the commitment of millions of Americans to break our addiction to foreign oil," said Pickens.
The Pickens Plan was launched to address what the energy industry veteran has called "the greatest transfer of wealth in human history," the approximately $475 billion the U.S. paid for foreign oil in 2008. America now relies on foreign nationsmany of them unfriendly to the United Statesfor nearly 70% of its oil needs, a figure Pickens calls the greatest threat to America's economic and national security.
"I applaud the Congressional leaders I stand with here today in our nation's Capitol for their dedication to energy reform. By introducing and supporting legislation that encourages making better use of the abundant resources on our own soil, they are helping create the comprehensive energy plan this country has been lacking for 40 years. America's national and economic security depends on moving off foreign oil as quickly as possibletheir commitment to keeping energy debate on the forefront is moving us one step closer," said Pickens.
"We've accomplished a lot in a year, including elevating this issue to the national agenda and pressing for immediate action. We have made great progress in the past year, but there is still work to be done. We must keep fighting for a brighter, cleaner domestic energy future," he added.
Pickens said he has built an advocacy base, the Pickens New Energy Army, of nearly 1.6 million members representing almost every state and congressional district in the United States. The Pickens Plan website, www.pickensplan.com, has received more than 17 million hits and was among the top 1,000 sites worldwide in the first month. He has secured nearly 2.7 billion media impressions.
Pickens traveled to 35 states, 74 cities and hosted 22 town hall meetings to promote the plan and to educate Americans on the threat imported oil has on our economy and security. Pickens met with both Presidential candidates on the campaign trail.
And he participated in the Center For American Progress Action Fund's National Clean Energy Summit in early 2009 to discuss America's energy future. Participants included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Honorary Chairman Senator Harry Reid, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pickens and several other leading decision policy makers.
Approximately 450 bipartisan elected officials have signed the Pickens Pledge for Energy Independence, including 55 U.S. representatives, nine U.S. Senators and 13 governors.
Dozens of corporate and third-party supporters include environmentalist Robert Kennedy Jr., American Electric Power, The American Wind Energy Association, AutoNation, Owens Corning, The Propane Education & Resources Council, NGVAmerica and the Sierra Club.
For more,click here to see the CSPTV segment in this issue of CSP Daily News.
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