In his monthly update on the level of foreign oil imports in the U.S., energy expert T. Boone Pickens said that based on the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. imported 63 percent of its oil, or 382 million barrels in August 2010, sending approximately $29.3 billion, or $656,100 per minute, to foreign countries.

“We import more oil than any other country in the world. To make matters worse, 40 percent of that oil is from countries that are not friendly to us, meaning U.S. dollars are being sent to the Middle East to fund terrorists and the Taliban,” said Pickens. “President Barack Obama pledged to eliminate Middle East oil dependence in 10 years, but we’re now a year and a half into his term and we’re not making any progress. Spending nearly a billion dollars a day on foreign oil is putting our national and economic security at risk. Congress needs to make a bold statement before it adjourns for the midterm elections by passing an energy bill that reduces our reliance on OPEC oil. America has the domestic resource to cut that dependence in half. Using our abundance of natural gas to power heavy trucks is an immediate solution that has support from Democrats and Republicans. Senator Harry Reid has committed to moving forward with energy legislation that both sides of the aisle agree on, specifically mentioning the Pickens Plan. It’s time for Congress to end our addiction to foreign oil and get a plan in place.”

To hear Senator Reid’s recent comments on the Pickens Plan at the National Clean Energy Summit 3.0, click here: www.pickensplan.com/boonecam/2010/09/14/national-clean-energy-summit-30

Pickens’ plan to encourage more heavy duty fleet vehicles to run on natural gas is included in several pieces of legislation, including The NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1835 and S. 1408), the American Power Act (S. 1733), introduced by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Next Generation Energy Security Act (S. 3535), introduced by Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), and the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act, introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV).