Wichitopekington

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, announced Monday she’d signed oil man T. Boone Pickens’ Energy Independence Pledge. The pledge urges the next President and Congress to develop a plan to reduce the country’s foreign oil dependence by at least 30 percent with in a decade. Pickens’ plan calls for more electricity from wind power and shifting natural gas now used to produce electricity to fuel vehicles. Read the full pledge and more about Pickens plan at his website: www.pickensplan.com Below is the statement Sebelius released when announcing she’d signed the pledge. “It is time for American Energy Independence and I support Mr. Pickens’ call on the next President to deliver to Congress a comprehensive energy plan in his first 100 days. “Right now our nation borrows money from China to buy oil from Saudi Arabia and then literally burns it up. This process undermines our national security, deepens our debt and harms our environment; it’s time we put an end to our reliance on foreign oil. “There are aspects of Pickens’ plan that I have concerns with. However, the solution to America’s energy problem will require us to use all of our resources, from traditional sources like natural gas, to renewables like solar and wind. With Kansas being the third windiest state in the nation – this is an incredible opportunity for our rural communities. “America must also build up our interstate transmission system and put new resources toward research and development, including research for carbon sequestration. Here in Kansas, we are ready to play our part in helping American secure a clean energy future and this plan is a step in the right direction.”