Picksenplan: Just Passing Wind

In the shamelessness department, T. Boone Pickens is trying save his massive investment in a Texas wind farm with a nationwide sales pitch designed to get his subsidies reinstated. Steven Milloy over at Junk Science blows down Pickens and the wind power fairy tale. No telling if anyone is listening to Pickens, but this rank opportunist disguised as a capitalist must stand to lose big bucks with such an obvious and very public act of self-service.

"The federal government currently subsidizes wind farm operators with a tax
credit worth 1.9 cents per kilowatt hour -- potentially making for a tidy annual
taxpayer gift to Pickens based on his anticipated capacity.

But all is not well in Wind Subsidy-land.

Since Congress didn't renew the wind subsidy as part of the 2007 energy
bill, it will expire at the end of this year unless reauthorized.

Subsidies are perhaps more important to the wind industry that wind
itself. Without them, wind can't compete against fossil fuel-generated power. As
pointed out by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (July 9), "In 1999, 2001 and
2003, when Congress temporarily killed the credits, the number of new turbines
dropped dramatically."

It's little wonder that Pickens is waging a $58 million PR campaign to
promote his plan. If it works, his short-term gain will be saving the tax credit
and his wind farm investment. In the long-term, he stands to line his already
overflowing pockets with hard-earned taxpayer dollars. "