Upgrade will take place over the next five years
Dallas, TX, March 11, 2009 – T. Boone Pickens offered the following statement today supporting AT&T’s decision to upgrade 8,000 of its fleet vehicles to run on natural gas over the next five years:
“I have long believed that reducing our dependence on foreign oil and securing America’s energy future requires more than action in Washington, but strong leadership from the private sector. AT&T’s decision today to upgrade 8,000 of its fleet vehicles to run on natural gas is a demonstration of real American corporate leadership that will be good for their bottom line, the environment and the country. AT&T recognizes that our reliance on foreign oil is one of the greatest threats to our national security—hopefully others will follow their lead.
“One of America’s largest companies has studied the issue and is making a change. This action should send a strong signal to other companies and to our leaders in Washington that not only is switching to natural gas vehicles the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. Smart American companies can be green and profitable and they don’t have to trade one for the other. AT&T is to be commended for its efforts and the example they are setting for the rest of the country.
“With Congress considering energy legislation in the coming days and months, I am continuing my call to implement a real national energy policy that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil through natural gas in our transportation system and rebuild our energy grid to tap into renewable sources of energy like wind and solar. This effort will create jobs, will make the nation’s economy stronger, will clean up the environment and will make us a better, safer and more independent nation.”