It’s easy appreciating the energy conversion efforts by Texan T. Boone Pickens.

         His campaign to increase the use of natural gas powered vehicles is having some big effects across America and in Wyoming, too.

         Another champion of natural gas-powered vehicles has been Gov. Matt Mead who recently had his new state-authorized GMC Denali converted to run on compressed natural gas. A good example. A lot of state vehicles are making that switch, too.

         So why would Wyoming be logical place to use more natural gas? Because we are the second largest natural gas producing state in the country. It makes all the sense in the world, especially here. Plus natural gas costs considerably less than gasoline or diesel at the pump.

         Pickens was the speaker at a Rotary Club meeting in downtown Dallas on Feb. 27, which I happened to be attending. 

His latest campaign is to convert all the “heavy” trucks in America from diesel to natural gas. So far, the campaign has had some victories.

         A California effort to convert all trash trucks to liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been a huge success and now Pickens says that 50 percent of all trash trucks in the country have been converted.

         “It even makes the drivers of the trucks sexier,” Pickens exclaimed. 

         He said, with a chuckle, he talked to one trash truck operator who says his wife says she loves him more because he no longer smells of those terrible diesel exhaust fumes.

         Pickens says that if heavy trucks made the conversion, it would save three million barrels of oil a day, which is how much America is importing from Arab countries. “And when we quit importing oil from them, we should bring our soldiers home, “ he says.

         When it comes to pollution, he says one heavy truck equals 325 cars. He said FedEx just announced a national effort to convert its fleet. UPS and Wal Mart are next, he contends.

         He quoted some history for the large crowd. He recalled when heavy trucks switched from gasoline to diesel in 1972, “they did it because diesel was cheaper.” 

Cheaper operating costs will drive this switch again, he predicts. He says that it took five years before the gas-to-diesel switchover was evident.

He had been in Washington, D. C. the previous day speaking before a crowd of 2,000 people organized by outgoing Energy Secretary Stephen Chu. He had also been in D.C. lobbying for a tax break amendment for folks wanting to facilitate conversions from diesel to natural gas.  

         He was unable to generate Republican enthusiasm for the amendment to the transportation bill, getting just six GOP votes to go with 45 Democrats. He needed 60 votes to get it through. Maybe this plan was “too simple,” he said.

         Pickens says he has been spent the last four years trying to get enthusiasm for switching to LNG. Wyoming’s two senators, Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, voted against the amendment, which followed what most conservative national groups supported.

         National conservative groups encouraged senators to oppose the amendment and let the private sector deal with it without government interference or help.

         Pickens is unfazed and his struggle continues.

         The overall problem in Washington is “a lack of leadership,” he concludes, taking a stab at President Barack Obama. “We are the only major country without an energy policy.”

         His campaign to convert 8 million heavy trucks will be dictated by economics, he says. Right now, a gallon of LNG costs $1.50 per gallon less than diesel. And the gas mileage is the same, he said.

         All those semi trailer trucks driving through Wyoming every day on I-80 are spewing out vast amounts of diesel exhaust into our previously clean air. It would make a significant difference to have them burning LNG rather than diesel. The constant Wyoming winds pretty much hide the current pollution but it is real.

         After his talk, Pickens was asked why gasoline prices stay so high?

         He blamed it on the same Saudis that he contends want to keep sending two billion barrels of oil to the USA each year.

         They need to keep the price of oil above $100 per barrel to support their people for “social commitments,” he said.   He said over half of the people in Saudi Arabia live off the government wealth and their leaders need to control prices to keep their people happy.

         “Of course, we are coming around to that here in the USA, too,” he quipped.