So once again we find ourselves at a crossroads in the much debated auto bailout talks. Conservatives in the U.S. Senate are threatening a filibuster, and may have the votes to derail the $14 billion in emergency aid that Democratic lawmakers and the Bush administration have cobbled together in the waning days of this Congressional session.

Without realizing it, this may provide those opposed to a Detroit bailout with the only opportunity they may ever have to actually avert a catastrophic bankruptcy of GM (GM), Chrysler and even the Ford Motor Company (G). That is the appointment of Jack Welch, the retired legendary CEO of General Electric (GE), who turned a so-so domestic industrial manufacturer into the largest and most successful industrial company in the world, as our nation's Car Czar.

Thanks to billoinaire energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens, most Americans are now familiar with The Pickens Plan. He is spending a reported $60 million of his own money to educate us as to the benefits of utilizing renewable wind power to replace natural gas ((NG)) on our nation's electric grid, thereby freeing up this plentiful domestic energy resource to replace expensive foreign oil as a transportation fuel for cars and trucks on our highways.

Meanwhile, things aren't going so well for America's domestic automobile manufacturers. Sales of new cars and trucks dropped below the 1 million mark last month for the first time in 15 years. While some high mileage compacts are moving reasonably well, their profit margins are too slim to offset lost profits from languishing truck and SUV sales. All this has resulted in the need for a $25 billion loan from the federal government to help keep the doors open in Detroit.

According to Rep. David Obey, the U.S. House of Representatives will allow the 27 year old moratorium prohibiting the exploration and production of oil and natural gas reserves in the area known as the OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) to expire on September 30. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid concurred, saying the Congress could not afford to risk shutting down the federal government over this controversial issue at this time.

This is a victory for the 80% of Americans who pollsters report favoring the expansion of U.S. offshore oil and gas exploration, which is now limited to the waters off the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. In theory, at least, this will allow exploration anywhere in federal waters beyond the three mile limit controlled by the states, except for an area off Florida dedicated to naval training exercises.

After all this time, the U.S. Congress is finally getting serious about taking steps they hope will help solve our nation's energy crisis and the skyrocketing cost of gasoline and related fuels. During the next three weeks a series of debates and votes will take place in the House and Senate that could impact the price of gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil for American families for years to come.

According to pollsters, as many as 80% of Americans want the Congress to approve legislation that would open up the OCS (U.S. outer-continental shelf) and ANWR (the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve) to additional oil and natural gas exploration. Sounds simple, doesn't it? All we need is for our Representatives and Senators to cast their votes, send this legislation to the president, and go home to campaign for their re-election.

T. Boone Pickens is up in arms over NBC's decision not to run one of his new TV ads promoting the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, and an alternative to importing expensive foreign oil. In an e-mail to supporters Mr. Pickens is quoted as saying, "NBC is refusing to run one of our strongest ads, and I need your help in showing NBC they can't control what we can or cannot say."

The new 15-second TV spot, entitled "Iran is Changing Its Cars to Run on Natural Gas," calls attention to this development by this OPEC member country. In the ad Mr. Pickens is pictured saying, "Get this one. Iran is changing its cars to run on natural gas and we're not doing a thing here." His website says NBC wants him to "prove" the words, "we're not doing a thing here." The website states that all other TV networks have accepted the ad for airing.

In previous posts we've written about the prospects for natursal gas [NG] powered vehicles, and their potential to reduce America's reliance on imported crude oil and increasingly expensive gasoline and diesel fuel.

Currently there are only about 150,000 CNG (compressed natural gas) cars and trucks operating in the U.S. out of some 5 million worldwide, mostly in public vehicle fleets. Unlike the radical new electrics, they work on simple, decades-old technology. Moreover, existing vehicles can easily be converted to run on CNG as well.

While GM (GM) tinkers with its much ballyhooed electric car named the Volt, Americans are busy maxing out their credit cards to get to work.

Although the Volt and similar offerings from competitive automakers promise a renaissance for drivers worldwide, the will very likely only be "boutique" vehiles for the next several years. It is predicted that the Volt will cost around $45 thousand when introduced, inluding its $15K replaceable battery pack. But it won't be even an option for many car owners, especially the millions who are "upside down" (owe more than they're worth) in their SUV's due to $4 a gallon gasoline.

80-year old billionaire T. Boone Pickens stays busy these days making money on alternative energy ideas he's putting into practice. Meanwhile, America's formerly "Big 3" automakers are losing billions of dollars due to the high cost of gasoline. So what, you may ask. Where's the connection? It's a fascinating tale, actually, of how a lone entrepreneur is turning lemons into lemonade, while once giant corporations are fast turning themselves into wards of the government.

Mr. Pickens' outlook is to look at the world and say, "Why not?" His present investments include a $2 billion gamble that America's electric utilities are going to connect the wind farms he's building into our nation's electric grid. Not satisfied with that, he is also investing heavily in companies that manufacture long-haul trucks that are fueled by LNG (liquid natural gas) instead of gasoline, and signing contracts to use this new technology in existing vehicle fleets. He figures he can improve the environment while making money for himself.

Most Americans don't think much about our present energy crisis, we just want it to end.

We couldn't care less if:

If you've been watching TV lately, you've probably heard about the "Pickens Plan" for American energy independence. This is a lofty goal from an improbable source to be sure. But as unlikely as it may sound, these ideas just may work.

To begin, who the heck is T. Boone Pickens anyway, and why is he so concerned about America's energy crisis? Well, Mr. Pickens is a Texas oil billionaire who owns, among other entities, BP Capital. He is 80 years old, although he looks to be in his mid-60's, and his mind is still as sharp as a steel trap. He says he used to be a Republican, but he gave that up so he could convince Congressmen and Senators from both political parties his plan is "non-partisan" and deserves their consideration.