Wind energy has arrived...

When a Republican, Texan, cowboy oilman decides to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to tell America about the future of American wind energy, it's worth listening. And, lest anyone think that wind energy is still the purview of off-the-grid types and energy dreamers, google The Pickens Plan (and read up about wind energy in any business magazine any week of the year, practically.)

T. Boone Pickens, who made his many fortunes in the oil business, is so confident that America is, as he puts it, "the Saudi Arabia of wind energy," that he is investing a portion of his riches in two ambitious projects: 1) he's planning the world's largest wind farm in -- where else -- Texas; and 2) he is launching the Pickens Plan. Simply put, the Pickens Plan is a national public awareness campaign designed to teach the average American about the enormous wind energy potential waiting to be harvested in the United States. Clean energy, independent energy, a new manufacturing boom, green collar jobs -- throw whatever set of optimistic labels you want at it, the American wind energy boom will take the compliment. Why is T. Boone investing (or gambling, if you're a skeptic) in the American public to pay attention? Because nothing makes the inside-the-beltway club pay attention to the need for production tax credits, investment tax credits, and the need for a national energy policy faster than public outcry.

So, whether you're a wind believer, a wind denier, or still figuring out which way it's all blowing, it's worth checking out what a new true believer, with a strong energy resume, is saying.