T Boone Pickens - the pied piper of natural gas reserves

T Boone has been on TV a lot recently, hitting up several shows in New York City. In case you haven't read or seen him, he's basically trying to push America to use Natural Gas. Natural Gas is apparently abundant in North America, though it is also hard to access because you need to have a pipeline to transport it.

T Boone has a lot of Natural Gas holdings, but that Gas isn't going anywhere without a major pipeline. So, he's making an appeal that Natural Gas can be a substitute for a major cuplrit in America's oil consumption: Diesel use. According to T Boone, Natural Gas is the only viable North American substitute to Diesel, which we make from oil (which, of couse, is mostly foreign).

I got to see him on Morning Joe and the Daily Show. He had ample time to explain his ideas on both programs. What I noticed, though, is that he never mentioned the word Biodiesel during his interviews. According to his plan, American trucking and equipment has two fueling choices: "foreign oil" derivatives (diesel and unleaded) and natural gas.

Though not necessary for an argument, it would have bolstered the appearance of credibility if he had at least mentioned Biodiesel. Because, if he were to sell the American public on Natural Gas, he would stand to make a fortune. If he doesn't, he's sitting on a relatively unused resource.

I would like to hear the opinions of some envoirnmentally and geopolitically concerned experts who do not stand to gain from selling major holdings before I join the Pickens Army.

Though, I must confess that I miss manual labor, and his talk of "3 million new jobs" building wind farms--his other venture--gets me all excited to join a work crew and hoist fan blades.