When Sean Kinney signed up to be the District Leader for Ohio’s 12th  Congressional District he set out a strategic plan based on his career experience in sales and marketing. He then set three focus areas 1. Promoting the NAT GAS Act 2. Increasing the membership of the New Energy Army in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District and 3. Improving visibility of the Pickens Plan and its supporters in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District.

Next he set out a plan to be carried out over 90-120 days with ideas moving into the next four to eight months. He also set a personal goal for himself “My goal is to spend no more than three hours per week on Pickens Plan planning and actions. My involvement with Pickens Plan is intended to be a labor of love, not simply labor.”

Sean did a great job of setting his goals, but he also used several tools to help him accomplish them. He chose to use UnHub, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

By using each of these tools, Sean has been able to connect with others interested in the Pickens Plan and get the message out to those who may or may not have heard about the plan and are interested in getting involved.

He said, “This is simply technology and I’m using it simply as a tool to create movement. However, it is up to me to take the movement and create real momentum. Technology is a great tool for spreading the word but people only get involved when they see other people involved. These tech tools have helped me meet and connect with people. It is up to me to do something with them. Once that happens keeping the pipeline filled is easy - and fun.”

Keep up the great work Sean! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!

Since July, 2008 the Pickens Plan has focused on natural gas as a substitute for foreign oil as the primary transportation fuel in the United States.

The Pickens Plan - which has largely concentrated on reducing our reliance on foreign oil - has always promoted utilizing “anything America” to generate electricity, as well as adding insulation, weather stripping and energy efficient machines and appliances in commercial buildings and homes.

In June of 2009, the Potential Gas Committee released its biennial study of the amount of natural gas available for recovery in the United States. Largely due to improvements in drilling technology, the vast shale plays in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Appalachia became candidates for tremendous natural gas recovery.

That means, as T. Boone Pickens said in a town hall meeting at the University of Texas at Dallas recently,

We have the most natural gas in the world, we rank above Russia, Iran and Qatar. We have 2,000 trillion, that’s barrels of oil equivalent, to 350 billion barrels which is about twice what the Saudi’s have in oil.

Natural gas is the only substitute for foreign diesel for moving heavy trucks and it’s great for fleet vehicles, too (just ask AT&T which is putting 8,000 natural gas vans into service in the future). Batteries cannot be used for 18-wheelers, and hydrogen fuel cells may be two or three decades away from full-scale production and distribution. Domestic natural gas is the perfect bridge fuel to technologies of the future.

Natural gas is available as an off-the-shelf technology right now-there are 10 million natural gas vehicles in use around the world today. And with the tremendous natural gas reserves of about 118 years in the continental United States, it is a fuel which we should begin using immediately.

– The Pickens Team

In the last two weeks we’ve added 22 co-sponsors to the NAT GAS Act, growing our total number of co-sponsors to 112!

Because of you, the NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1835) is gaining momentum and we’re adding new legislative co-sponsors everyday. But we’ve got to keep going.

We’re still working towards our goal of 120 co-sponsors by 11/20 and I know that together we can do it. Click here to email your Member of Congress and ask them to become a co-sponsor of the NAT GAS Act today.

Following is the full list of Members of Congress who are supporting H.R. 1835.

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Aderholt, Robert B. [AL-4] - 6/19/2009
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] - 6/8/2009
Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] - 11/3/2009
Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] - 6/8/2009
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] - 4/27/2009
Rep Barton, Joe [TX-6] - 6/16/2009
Rep Berry, Marion [AR-1] - 9/8/2009
Rep Biggert, Judy [IL-13] - 9/15/2009
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] - 5/21/2009
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] - 4/1/2009
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - 5/21/2009
Rep Boccieri, John A. [OH-16] - 10/29/2009
Rep Bonner, Jo [AL-1] - 7/31/2009
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] - 5/21/2009
Rep Boozman, John [AR-3] - 4/21/2009
Rep Bright, Bobby [AL-2] - 7/28/2009
Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-1] - 6/4/2009
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 4/1/2009
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 5/21/2009
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 5/7/2009
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 6/4/2009
Rep Carney, Christopher P. [PA-10] - 10/29/2009
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] - 7/10/2009
Rep Cassidy, Bill [LA-6] - 5/21/2009
Rep Chandler, Ben [KY-6] - 10/29/2009
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 9/15/2009
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] - 4/28/2009
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] - 4/1/2009
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] - 10/29/2009
Rep Cuellar, Henry [TX-28] - 6/2/2009
Rep Davis, Artur [AL-7] - 6/19/2009
Rep Davis, Lincoln [TN-4] - 7/7/2009
Rep Delahunt, William D. [MA-10] - 5/21/2009
Rep Edwards, Chet [TX-17] - 6/10/2009
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 9/8/2009
Rep Fallin, Mary [OK-5] - 4/22/2009
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] - 5/7/2009
Rep Foster, Bill [IL-14] - 4/27/2009
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 5/5/2009
Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] - 5/21/2009
Rep Granger, Kay [TX-12] - 5/21/2009
Rep Green, Al [TX-9] - 4/22/2009
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] - 5/21/2009
Rep Griffith, Parker [AL-5] - 10/29/2009
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] - 5/5/2009
Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 11/3/2009
Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] - 7/14/2009
Rep Hodes, Paul W. [NH-2] - 9/22/2009
Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49] - 9/22/2009
Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] - 7/8/2009
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 9/8/2009
Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] - 4/1/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 10/29/2009
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 4/21/2009
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] - 9/22/2009
Rep Kirkpatrick, Ann [AZ-1] - 10/8/2009
Rep Kissell, Larry [NC-8] - 7/7/2009
Rep Kratovil, Frank, Jr. [MD-1] - 6/24/2009
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] - 5/5/2009
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] - 5/7/2009
Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] - 10/20/2009
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 10/29/2009
Rep Lungren, Daniel E. [CA-3] - 10/27/2009
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] - 4/21/2009
Rep Markey, Betsy [CO-4] - 4/1/2009
Rep Massa, Eric J. J. [NY-29] - 5/5/2009
Rep Matheson, Jim [UT-2] - 7/15/2009
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] - 4/30/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 6/2/2009
Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] - 4/23/2009
Rep McMahon, Michael E. [NY-13] - 4/1/2009
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 10/26/2009
Rep Melancon, Charlie [LA-3] - 6/16/2009
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Minnick, Walter [ID-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - 10/29/2009
Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] - 10/29/2009
Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18] - 7/21/2009
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 6/2/2009
Rep Nunes, Devin [CA-21] - 5/5/2009
Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] - 9/10/2009
Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] - 4/21/2009
Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] - 6/10/2009
Rep Perlmutter, Ed [CO-7] - 4/27/2009
Rep Pierluisi, Pedro R. [PR] - 6/2/2009
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 5/21/2009
Rep Pomeroy, Earl [ND] - 10/29/2009
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] - 5/5/2009
Rep Ross, Mike [AR-4] - 4/21/2009
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 6/12/2009
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] - 10/6/2009
Rep Salazar, John T. [CO-3] - 6/2/2009
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] - 5/7/2009
Rep Sestak, Joe [PA-7] - 9/8/2009
Rep Shadegg, John B. [AZ-3] - 4/21/2009
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] - 10/29/2009
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] - 11/3/2009
Rep Simpson, Michael K. [ID-2] - 11/3/2009
Rep Sires, Albio [NJ-13] - 4/21/2009
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 10/21/2009
Rep Snyder, Vic [AR-2] - 6/2/2009
Rep Sullivan, John [OK-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] - 10/29/2009
Rep Teague, Harry [NM-2] - 4/1/2009
Rep Thompson, Mike [CA-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13] - 4/28/2009
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] - 6/12/2009
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 10/29/2009
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - 10/27/2009
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] - 10/14/2009

Are you planning on coming to the Pickens Plan Town Hall at University of Texas Dallas this Thursday, November 5th?

If so, shoot an email to Geoffrey.Bailey@pickensplan.com to get in on a special treat we’re planning for Boone and army members before the event!

Event Info:  This Thursday, November 5th, please join us for the inaugural lecture of the UT Dallas Forum on Energy Issues and Innovation featuring Texas business legend Boone Pickens discussing the Pickens Plan for U.S. energy independence. The event will be at the UT Dallas Conference Center. This event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 12:30 pm and the event begins promptly at 1:00 pm.

We hope you can join us. With the health care debate winding down, Boone’s Town Hall meetings are ramping up our momentum. Now, more then ever, Boone needs us!

P.S.  Tune into KRLD News Radio 1080 tomorrow, Wednesday, at 3:20 pm CT.  Boone will be interviewed live on the air.

Ryan Jones, Idaho State Leader

-Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Ryan Jones.  I attend Idaho State University and am currently studying instrumentation and controls.  I am learning the hard skills necessary to work in the energy industry and more specifically the natural gas industry.  In addition, I work for ESTEC which is the new Energy Systems Technology Education Center at ISU.  We organize science days for elementary schools in east Idaho by bringing energy related activities to to the classroom with the idea of stimulating kids interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  These four disciplines are an essential ingredient as the United States prepares for stagnate and or declining oil production.

- Why are you part of the Pickens Plan?

I am in the school of thought that global oil production is very near if not already past peak production. New oil fields are extremely challenging to find and produce.  Giant fields are declining in production.  Leaving us with oil sand projects, deep sea production, and dependence on OPEC.  It’s extremely difficult to get an accurate field by field assessment of OPEC’s oil reserves and production.  We are not sure what they have and what they can produce.  It does not make economic sense for our economy to depend on these guys especially in a world where demand will far outstrip supply. We have the resources and the work ethic to reduce the dependency. The Pickens Plan is the plan that will start the process of decreasing our
dependence on OPEC oil. Coupled with global warming, this is the most pressing issue facing my generation but we are ready to roll!

- Tell us about things you’ve done to promote the Pickens Plan

I’ve promoted the plan by talking to government leaders at the local and state level.  Idaho’s governor Butch Otter was one of the first governor’s to sign the Pickens Plan pledge.  I’ve used the local papers for promotion by writing Op-Eds or by them doing stories on my involvement with the Pickens Plan.  I’ve used the website to send BoonCams or articles to my network of people throughout Idaho and the country. I wear the Pickens Plan trucker hat which can be a great conversation starter.

-Share one idea for what you’d like to accomplish through your work with the Pickens Plan in the next 3 months.

Idaho’s congressional leaders Rep. Simpson, Sen. Crapo, and Sen. Risch have not signed the Pickens Plan.  I’d like to see leaders at the federal level become more involved with the dependency problem and sign on to the plan.  We have 2010 elections right around the corner and my vote goes to the canidates that understand and support our mission.

“Meet the Army” is a series here on Daily Pickens featuring New Energy Army members and how they are making a difference by being involved in the Pickens Plan. Who knows, maybe we’ll see you here soon! Click here to join your State and District Groups and get involved.

Check out this video produced by Oklahoma State University about yesterday’s Town Hall meeting.

In case you missed it, click here to watch a replay of yesterday’s T. Boone Pickens Town Hall at Oklahoma State University.

The Daily O’Collegian, the student newspaper at Oklahoma State University, has posted video clips from Boone’s press conference after yesterday’s Town Hall meeting, along with other reports from the event.  Click here to visit their website.

More than 4,300 people showed up to hear T. Boone Pickens explain the Pickens Plan to his alma mater at Oklahoma State University.

According to the Daily O’Collegian - the OSU daily campus newspaper - “In Pickens’ fifteenth town hall meeting nationwide, OSU had the largest turnout with a crowd of 4,300 people.”

In the article by reporters Gabby Hutchings and Valerie Pritchard Boone laid out the principles which have driven the Pickens Plan Army for the past 18 months.

“Today we’re importing 67 percent of our oil,” Pickens said. “If we don’t do anything in 10 years, we’ll be importing 75 percent and paying $300 a barrel for oil. We won’t have health care or education because there won’t be anything to go to those. This has nothing to do with politics; it’s about us. It’s our problem, and we’ve got to solve it.”

Boone talked about the need to expand the nation’s wind power capability. The reporters wrote:

Oklahoma is working to use wind as a viable source of energy for the state and hopes to expand to eventually service the whole country. Oklahoma has a team of researchers working on the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative to set up wind farms statewide.

Boone called on OSU to get going with energy efficiency and alternative energy projects which are already on the drawing boards.

Ever Oklahoma State’s biggest booster, Boone said,

“There’s not going to be anyone who’s going to get ahead of OSU. We’ll be in the game, I can promise you that.”

To read the entire article about Boone at OSU (and the related articles) click HERE.

– The Pickens Team

Looking for leadership? Then look to Iowa, which has moved ahead of larger, traditional wind power states such as California and Washington to become the country’s second-largest wind power producer. Just last year, the state added an impressive 1,600 megawatts of wind capacity, an amount that pushed it past longtime leader California and makes it second only to Texas.

What’s even more amazing is that Iowa’s focus on developing domestic sources of alternative energy is nothing new. According to The Wall Street Journal, the state “began promoting renewable-energy sources as early as 1978, when, in response to the oil shock, it passed a property-tax exemption for wind, solar and other types of generators whose electricity was used on site. Then, in 1983, the state adopted the first renewable-energy mandate in the U.S., requiring that its investor-owned utilities draw power from 105 megawatts of renewable generation by 1990.”

This pro-active attitude by Iowans is now paying big dividends and has the determined support of governing bodies of all sizes and responsibilities. In fact, one of the primary reasons for the recent surge in the state’s wind energy production capacity has been the important role local and state governments have played in facilitating this growth. A combination of tax breaks, fewer zoning regulations, and lack of bureaucratic red tape make the Corn State fertile ground for alternative energy investments, a point that Journal reporter Yuliya Chernova emphasizes:

“… as more states and the federal government seek to encourage more production of renewable energy, Iowa may point the way.”

Property- and sales-tax exemptions for wind equipment make projects in Iowa also make the state more attractive economically. Yet according to a study completed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, each 1,000 megawatts of wind generation installed in Iowa has resulted in $6 million in property taxes for counties.

How serious is Iowa about ending America’s dependence on foreign oil?

What other state in the Union has its own Office of Energy Independence?

Army:

Today I return to my alma mater, Oklahoma State University, for my first town hall meeting on campus since launching the Pickens Plan almost a year and a half ago.

This event means a lot to me – it’s in my homestate, it’s at the university where I studied geology and began my career nearly 50 years ago, the students and leadership of OSU have done amazing work this week to get people excited about the event, and this should be one of the biggest crowds at a Pickens Plan town hall to date.

Oh and the Oklahoma State vs Texas football game is this weekend, so I guess you could say it’s a bit of a pep rally too!

But the only thing that would make this town hall even better is if you’re there.  So in partnership with The Oklahoman, we’ll be webcasting the event starting at 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT this afternoon.

Click here to visit the page on PickensPlan.com where you’ll be able to watch the event and interact with the students and other members of the Army. My team is telling me there will be some contests and prizes for the online audience, too.

It’s going to be a fun afternoon and I hope you can join us.

-Boone

Army:

What a couple of weeks it’s been and I have lots to report and something very important to ask.

There’s a new Natural Gas Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives which is headed by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK).  The more than 40 bi-partisan members of the caucus held a major hearing on Capitol Hill.  The Natural Gas Caucus talked about how the development of America’s natural gas resources will help set America on a path to energy independence and create millions of new jobs.  It was a great event and an important message to get out there.

But here’s the really important part.

We’ve got just under 100 cosponsors of the NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1835) in the House—and that’s great—but I think we can educate more Members of Congress, build on that support and do a lot more.

Click here to email your Member of Congress and ask them to become a cosponsor of the NAT GAS Act.

I think we can get at least another 20+ cosponsors in the coming weeks so I’m calling on every member of the Army to reach out to their Member of Congress right now so that we can get to at least 120 sponsors by November 20th.  I’m calling it 120 by 11-20.

I’m going to be working the phones and I need you to as well.  Army, we can get this done and show Congress that it’s time to end our dependence on foreign oil.

Click here to email your Member of Congress and ask them to become a cosponsor of the NAT GAS Act.

Stay tuned because we’re going to post regular updates about our progress and highlight those members who are working to get us off foreign oil.

Let’s keep the pressure on!

– Boone

P.S.  We recently ran an ad in the news publications which cover Capitol Hill. Click here to view the short video we did about this really unique ad.  It’s getting people’s attention.

Students in the School of Journalism at Oklahoma State University have been doing a FANTASTIC job this week of raising awareness about tomorrow’s Town Hall meeting with T. Boone Pickens.  Click here to read the press release about their efforts.  And check out the following video they put together to promote the event, which includes a few faces familiar to OSU students, alumni and fans!

Mike Johnston, Pennsylvania State Director

-Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Mike Johnston, a State Director for the Pickens Plan in Pennsylvania. I started my career writing op-ed pieces for several newspapers in the mid 1990s, most commonly writing about the environment, alternative energy and the arts. In the early part of the new century, I had a climate change/alt energy blog which saw a half million hits. At that time, I was asked to be an energy advisor to the Gephardt for President campaign and more recently, I’ve been writing on blogcritics.org and have been called one of T. Boone Pickens’ favorite bloggers on the Pickens Plan website.

-Why are you a part of the Pickens Plan?

I have been interested in alternative energy and the green economy for a long time and I see working with the Pickens Plan as a way that I can have a large impact in this effort.

-Tell us about things you’ve done to promote the Pickens Plan.

I’ve written blogs about the Plan and alternative energy in general, contributed ideas and perspectives on key elements of the Plan, served as a State Director for the Plan in Pennsylvania, and have attended events as a Plan Ambassador.

-Share one idea for what you’d like to accomplish through your work with the Pickens Plan in the next 3 months.

I would like to keep public awareness and support for a green energy economy alive and growing.

We are introducing a new series on the Daily Pickens Blog featuring New Energy Army members and how they are making a difference by being involved in the Pickens Plan. We hope you enjoy this new feature and who knows, maybe we’ll see you here soon! Click here to join your State and District Groups and get involved.

Boone will be appearing at Oklahoma State University for a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, October 29 at 3:30 pm.  He will be giving an update on the Pickens Plan and taking questions from the audience.

Following are the event details:

Town Hall Meeting with T. Boone Pickens
Thursday, October 29
3:30 pm
Oklahoma State University
Gallagher-Iba Arena

The event is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 2:30 pm so please arrive early.

If you are unable to attend in person, we’ll be covering the event here on Daily Pickens. You can also follow us on Twitter @pickensplan and Facebook.com/PickensPlan for updates.  The Oklahoman will also be providing live coverage of the event.