T. Boone Pickens Statement on President Obama’s Earth Day Speech in Iowa

(BUSINESS WIRE)--T. Boone Pickens offered the following comment on President Obama’s speech yesterday at the Trinity Structural Towers wind energy plant in Newton, Iowa.

“President Obama’s Earth Day message couldn’t be more important: Congress needs to act now to advance the creation of renewable energy jobs—a vital component of the comprehensive energy reform we so urgently need.

The ability for America’s workforce to adapt to the changing marketplace is key to our recovery from the recession. One of the fundamental elements of the Pickens Plan is the need to embrace the abundant opportunities we have to develop a vibrant alternative energy supply that will revitalize our economy, bringing jobs and families back to the heartland. Newton is a prime example of this transformation—a town that was struggling after its biggest employer was sold and shut down manufacturing operations is now a model for job creation. Helped by business incentives and tax breaks, the former Maytag plant is now thriving under Trinity, turning out towers that will support the very turbines that can develop this region into the Saudi Arabia of wind.

It is important to remember that our work on an energy plan is not done. We need to continue focusing on reducing our dependence on foreign oil and to do that, we have to target transportation and replace foreign diesel with domestic alternatives such as natural gas. Congress needs to act now to adopt a national renewable electricity standard in order to create a real long-term commitment to renewable energy in America, creating thousands of good jobs. It is time to move now to reform our energy policy. Congress has the unique opportunity to act and protect our economy and our security. I agree with President Obama’s vision that will retrain idled workers, revitalize shuttered manufacturing towns, and adapt to a new, green economy.”

About the Pickens Plan

Unveiled on July 8, 2008 by T. Boone Pickens, the Pickens Plan is a detailed solution for ending the United States’ growing dependence on foreign oil. Earlier this year, when oil prices reached $140/barrel, America was spending about $700 billion for foreign oil, equaling the greatest transfer of wealth in human history. That figure has decreased some while oil prices have retreated, but the U.S. is still dependent on foreign nations for nearly 70 percent of its oil, representing a continuing national economic and national security threat. The plan calls for investing in power generation from domestic renewable resources such as wind and using our abundant supplies of natural gas as a transportation fuel, replacing more than one-third of our imported oil.

FRC's Tony Perkins Responds to President Obama's Address to Congress

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement in response to President Obama's address to Congress last evening:

"While the reaction to the President's speech was mixed, the reaction on Wall Street will be most telling of whether or not the President succeeded in infusing confidence into the nation's faltering economy.

"As President, it is incumbent upon Barack Obama to encourage the American people and help drive our nation's economy forward. That is, however, a difficult feat with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. Despite the hopeful talk designed to nudge the nation forward, the reality of bigger and more costly government is stopping many Americans dead in their tracks on the road to economic recovery.

"The bottom line is bigger government is bigger government regardless of the patriotism that is wrapped around it. The President's pork barrel spending bills and his speech tonight reflect a philosophy that says only massive government spending will cure our economic troubles. The President's call for fiscal responsibility rings hallow when the actions that follow only pile on more massive debt and mortgage away the future of our children and their children.

"We do applaud the President for focusing on reducing the dropout rates in America, for there is little hope for those who cannot enter the workforce with the most basic of skills. However, the key is not doubling the size of the Department of Education it is in restoring parental involvement in education by allowing parents to make the fundamental decisions about their child's education, whether it be charter schools, private schools or home-schooling. All children in America should be treated equally."