"If everyone purchasing a room air conditioner in 2009 chooses an ENERGY STAR qualified model, it would save 390 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. That would prevent more than 600 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year-equivalent to taking more than 50,000 cars off the road-and save consumers over $43 million each year in energy bills." (Pickens Plan Fact of the Day, 8 Oct 09)

California has always prided itself as being a leader in alternative energy innovation. Driving through the hills around Livermore, Palm Springs, or between San Diego and Yuma bring skylines full of wind turbines. The California Energy Commission claims that wind turbines generated 6,802 gigawatt-hours of electricity - about 2.3 percent of the state's gross system power. By the end of 2009 California actually expects to hit nearly 5% energy production from renewable sources.

While the wind turbine program has slowed down a bit due to animal rights groups objecting to bird casualties due to propeller strikes, California has not slowed down at all in the state's aggressive goals for green energy production. While it is probably a bit too aggressive, California's Energy Commission has set a goal of hitting 20% by the end of 2010 (Senate Bill 107), and 33% by the end of 2020 (Executive Order S-14-08).

Those of us who are soldiers in the Pickens Army are dedicated to promoting and evangelizing the religion of reducing carbon produced by oil, reducing our dependence on foreign energy, and are always on the lookout for initiatives to feed our passion to solve critical energy issues facing America's economy, the environment, and our national security." (from the Pickens Plan)

We should aggressively find those jewels of energy leadership, highlight them, and learn from their efforts. 

The National GRID is actually a British company, specializing in delivering both electrical and natural gas in the northeast United States (as well as the UK).  Serving about 3.3 million electricity users, and around 3.4 million natural gas users, national GRID is taking a leadership role in developing US policy towards energy transmission and use.

The Wilmington Oil Field, which crosses the basin stretching from San Pedro, through Long Beach and Signal Hill, to Seal Beach (California), is the third largest oil deposit in the United States.   A wonderful energy resource serving the United States which has provided more than 2.5 billion barrels of crude oil since 1932.

Shift to Colorado, Independence Day, 2008.  I arrived at the Denver International Airport (landing through a brown cloud of smog that makes an autumn afternoon in Los Angeles look healthy), rented the cheapest vehicle I could get my hands on, and started the trip up I-70 to work near Vail for the coming week.  Imagine my surprise to see a traffic jam that pretty much started in Denver, and went up the mountain as far as Breckenridge.  Even more surprising, was the fact around 85% of the traffic jam consisted of SUVs and trucks, with at least 50% of those trucks sporting kayaks strapped to the roof.

Whales Near Seal Beach, California --- Interesting idea - a state that prides itself on its relationship with nature, yet those who participate in nature, promote and evangelize nature, and promote the care and feeding of nature - appear at least to an outsider, as openly violating the laws of nature.