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Reid lets Pickens drive the "clean" energy train

Pickens, who backed out of plans for large-scale wind farming earlier this summer, is back, touting natural gas and propane as a "bridge" to a renewable future.
Written by Dana Blankenhorn, Inactive

The theme of today's National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 in Las Vegas is jobs jobs jobs.

And while both Bill Clinton and Al Gore are expected to lend their celebrity to the event, the real driver of this train seems to be T. Boone Pickens.

Pickens, who backed out of plans for large-scale wind farming earlier this summer, is back, touting natural gas and propane as a "bridge" to a renewable future.

More important he appears to have the ear of Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid and other party leaders from the West. Red has sponsored a bill of tax breaks for natural gas vehicles.

Energy has always depended upon tax breaks and political favors, plus a large dose of natural security. But with cap and trade legislation stalled on Capitol Hill, industry is being looked to as the force that can get policy out of the ditch.

Can it? More important, will it? Stay tuned.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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