T Boon Pickens.... The water wars get closer to reality.

[Musicinabottle]

I've always been concerned about water availiblity and how the World tries to control it or polute it, especially commercial giants like Coka cola stealing water from the locals in India, or natural gas fracking here in the US destroying and polluting residential water wells with numerous chemicals including benzine. I've long knew about this latest ploy by oil man T Boon Pickens who see's the end of oil coming and the new ultra precious commodity for profit and thought I'd share this article with you all..... T. Boone Pickens wants your water
By: Timothy P. Carney | Columnist | 08/21/08 3:00 AM
.Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens is about to make a killing by selling water he doesn?t own. As he does it, it will be praised as a planet-friendly wind project. After he pulls it off, the media will deride it as craven capitalism. In truth, it is one the most audacious examples of politics for profit, showing how big government helps the biggest business steal from the rest of us. The plotline behind Pickens? water-and-wind scheme is almost too rich to believe. If it were a movie script, reviewers would dismiss it as over-the-top.

The basic story amounts to this: Pickens, thanks to favors from state lawmakers whose campaigns he funded, has created a new government whose only voters are two of his employers; this has empowered Pickens to more cheaply pump water from an aquifer and, by use of eminent domain, seize land across 11 counties in order to pipe the water to Dallas. To win environmentalist approval of this hardly ?sustainable? practice, he has piggybacked this water project onto a windmill project pitched as an alternative to oil.

Pickens? scheme is a perfect demonstration of why it?s worth asking cui bono ? who benefits ? from regulatory and environmental initiatives. Last week, this column pointed out that Pickens, before his current lobbying blitz for increased federal support of wind power, built the largest wind farm in the world.

I received dozens of responses from environmentalists and Pickens fans objecting to my implication that Pickens? profit from expanding wind subsidies ought to cast suspicion on his call for more wind subsidies. ?Why should I care if someone?s getting rich?? was the general gist, ?windmills are good, and we need more of them.?




Read more at the Washington Examiner: T. Boone Pickens wants your water | Timothy P. Carney | Op Eds | Washington Examiner

[blucher]

I lack the appropriate epithet for the duplicitous SOB. My friend tells me the Southwest aquifers are drying up.

If you look at a map I posted about dust storms you can see where Nebraska and the Dakotas will be getting dry too and that's the heart of the corn & wheat production.

[Musicinabottle]

Makes me laugh. People in our country are more content believing that the government is....................... AGH, never mind.

[HiHood]

I don't like wind mills in general, I think there's better alternatives. That coupled with greedies like this guy and I REALLY HATES them.

[blucher]

Originally Posted by HiHood

I don't like wind mills in general, I think there's better alternatives. That coupled with greedies like this guy and I REALLY HATES them.

Existing Hydro, mini-hydro and wave energy are probably best but short term wind energy is cost effective.
Remember we're just discovering these applications so more tech will minimize the need for huge wind farms. There are places on Earth where there was too much wind for turbines to handle it so they're adapting gearing that can cope.

I discovered one site by accident my 2nd morning in Portland. I'd decided to look at the Gorge and the first stop was Vista House where the Columbia Gorge meets the city. It's at the Eastern end of 90 miles of Gorge and on the calmest day the wind is like a freight train from hell.

I could not keep my feet without a death grip on the rail. Crossing the parking lot nearly knocked me down several times. Since the Columbia Gorge is a preserved State Scenic area the nearby wind farms are back far enough not to be seen and none are near Vista House.
All that freight train sized energy is unused and wasted because "scenic:" & "wind farm" rarely mix well.

My thought was that while this is a magnificent view no one ever goes near the edge to look down at the cliff below. It would probably kill you. This photo below is the side you do see and the road approaches from one side rather that circling the cliff.


The whole opposite side of the cliff could be covered with drum shaped wind turbines that only a few boats could see. After all, the beauty is the Gorge, not the edge of Portland.

If this planet is in the danger many believe we need to minimize fossil fuel use fast or a lot of places will simply become unlivable.