Billionaire energy investor T. Boone Pickens is launching a new TV ad in the hope that alternative energy reform will take center stage as health care debates wind down.
The ad,
which debuts today, touts the NAT GAS Act of 2009, which would create
tax credits to encourage alternative fuel use and require government
fleets to begin switching to natural gas vehicles. The ad, sponsored by
the Pickens Plan advocacy group, will run for 10 days nationwide and
for three weeks in Washington.
"We believe this is the number one post-health care issue," Pickens
said in a conference call Wednesday. "This is an election year, and
members need a positive pro-American bill they can tell their
constituencies about. This will create green jobs in many of the areas
that badly need it.... This year is a singular political opportunity,
and this move that in particular in supporting fuel for heavy duty
trucks has bipartisan support in both houses of Congress."
The
bill is inspired by a program initiated by the ports of Long Beach and
Los Angeles that offered cash rebates to trucking companies for
replacing their diesel-burning 18-wheelers with natural-gas trucks.
Pickens said that should be a model for reform.
"Lighter trucks will take more time," said Pickens. "I'd just as soon
see lighter truck fleets go to [green batteries] eventually."
John Podesta, president of the liberal Center for
American Progress, noted that America imports approximately $1 billion
worth of oil every day.
"With respect to using natural gas, the engine and the technology
already exist," said Podesta. "I believe you could cut [reliance on]
OPEC in half if you focused on the heavy duty trucks."
Pickens and Podesta also discussed what's ahead for energy if it
gets the next big reform push after health care, as Pickens hopes. One
of the more contentious parts of the debate is whether the EPA would
step in to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act if
Congress doesn't agree on a plan; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is considering legislative options for curbing the EPA's ability to do that.
"At this point I see no chance of [a Murkowksi amendment] becoming
law," Podesta said. "It's being raised at this time as a political
distraction. It's time we got some bipartisan solutions going to get
away from dependence on foreign oil."
Source: National Journal
