T. Boone Pickens to speak at Virginia's first energy conference

Washington Post (blog) - T. Boone Pickens, the Texas billionaire and oilman who has been campaigning for energy independence, will be the keynote speaker at Gov. Bob McDonnell's first energy conference next month.

"It's going to take leadership, new thinking, big ideas and serious innovation to achieve greater energy independence and help transition to a more sustainable and economical energy model," Pickens said in a statement. "Conferences like this one are an important part of that effort, and I'm pleased to be a part of it."

The conference, Oct. 12-14 in Richmond, will include an examination of how the energy sector is organized and operates, the latest information on state and federal regulatory activity, alternative energy projects and the energy research and development taking place at state universities.

"In this global economy, we must tackle our energy needs with an 'all of the above' approach utilizing traditional, alternative, and renewable sources,'' McDonnell said. "Wind, coal, solar, nuclear, biomass, oil and natural gas are all part of our energy solution. By fully developing our domestic energy resources we can provide reliable, low cost power that will lead our country closer towards energy independence."

Conference sponsors include Virginia Commonwealth University, Dominion, Appalachian Power Co., Honeywell, Alpha Natural Resources, AGL Resources, Consol Energy/ CNX, API, and Johnson Controls. Organizers include VCU, the Virginia Renewable Energy Association, the Virginia Sustainable Building Network, McGuireWoods Consulting, Dominion, ODEC and Virginia Natural Gas.