The Pickens Plan:
Taking stock of where we are

In 2011, the U.S. imported 4.1 billion barrels of petroleum accounting for 60 percent of the U.S. supply. The total cost of those imports was $453.6 billion. That represents an increase in cost of 34.6 percent over 2010 and a whopping increase of 71.8 percent over 2009.

In the election cycle of 2008, virtually every candidate for every federal office from both political parties made a campaign promise to enact legislation to reduce our dependence on OPEC oil. These numbers I have cited prove little has been done.

Today we're paying about $100 per barrel for foreign oil and, in the case of OPEC oil, often to nations that are hostile to our best interests. Oil prices are up when they should be going down. Demand for oil globally is down while domestic production in America is up. There's one word that describes why oil prices are up instead of down: geopolitics, much of it attributable to the seemingly never-ending turmoil in the Middle East.

Any way you cut it, America is being cheated. Energy has failed to emerge as a top-tier election year issue, despite the lingering threat to our economic recovery and our national security.

For more than four decades, every presidential candidate has said something to the effect of, "Elect me, and we'll be energy independent." That's four decades of failed promises.

It is time we hold our political candidates accountable. After a lengthy discussion with my dad one day, he said, "Son, you are speaking in vague generalities." It's easy to think the same thing when we hear our presidential candidates talk about energy. It's time to move from vague generalities to specifics.

While you're listening to the speeches for the 2012 election, see if you can determine whether or not either party plans to make energy a top issue in this election cycle, or if we will just continue on this path of being cheated, and then follow the candidates on Facebook and Twitter and let them know we expect more than another empty promise — we want a specific solution, now.

To find out what you can do to help, visit the www.Pickensplan.com.

If you want to follow Boone Pickens on Twitter (see current updates at left), follow him @boonepickens. If you do not have a Twitter account, you can sign up at www.twitter.com.

The breadth of T. Boone Picken's career is staggering.

Growing up where the pavement ends, the West begins, and the Rock Island crossed the Frisco.

T. Boone Pickens was one of the first corporate businessmen to focus on maximizing shareholder value.

From changing the face of Big Oil to drawing national attention to corporate governance issues, T. Boone Pickens has had a lasting impact on Corporate America.

From the oilfield to the boardroom, T. Boone Pickens' leadership skills are legendary.

A lifelong athlete and firm believer in the benefits of physical fitness, T. Boone Pickens led the way in bringing health and fitness into the workplace.

Through his companies, Clean Energy and Mesa Water, T. Boone Pickens is working hard to ensure clean air and a plentiful supply of water for our future.

During his career, T. Boone Pickens has created thousands of jobs and given nearly half a billion dollars to social, environmental and educational causes.

A straight shooter, T. Boone Pickens has a way with words. His one-of-a-kind expressions or "booneisms" are legendary.

Throughout his career, T. Boone Pickens and the many issues he champions have been the subject of some of the nation¹s best cartoons. Today, Boone has an impressive collection of signed original cartoons depicting him and his work.

There's no question that T. Boone Pickens is headline material. From the Wall Street Journal to the International Herald Tribune, Pickens is a fixture in the U.S. and international media.