Of all the people you might expect to spearhead a movement away from oil and onto alternative energy, T. Boone Pickens probably wouldn’t be at the top of the list.

But a year ago, the 81-year old chairman of BP Capital spent his own money to buy prime time on major networks and mobilized an “army” of believers in order to get the word out about the dangers of continued dependence on foreign oil.

Earlier this month, Pickens appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss the progress of the “Pickens Plan,”which essentially seeks to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil through a combination of wind-generated power and natural gas powered vehicles. The goal: Drastically reducing or eliminating the need for foreign oil in as little as 10 years.

His timing was perfect, as oil prices shot to all-time highs around $150 a year ago. The plan garnered a lot of attention. And to

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Earlier this week, T. Boone Pickens, the 81-year-old Chairman of BP Capital, appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss the progress of the “Picken’s Plan.”

Readers might remember it was during the heat of the Presidential campaign last summer, on July 8, that Pickens began his own campaign to wean the nation off of foreign oil.

Spending his own money, he bought time on the major networks and mobilized an “army” of believers in order to get the word out about the dangers of continued dependence on foreign oil.

Essentially, the Pickens Plan seeks to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil with a combination of wind-generated power and natural gas powered vehicles. In the process, the need for foreign oil is drastically reduced or eliminated in as little as 10 years.

His timing - with oil prices hovering around $150 a barrel - got him a lot of attention.

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The Potential Gas Committee (PGC), a respected panel of academics and experts supported by the Colorado School of Mines, has painted an optimistic picture of the nation's long-term natural gas supply situation. In its latest biennial report released today, the committee pegs the nation's total natural gas resource potential at 2,074 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), up 35% from their last estimate in 2006.A minor explanation is in order to correct reporting by the mainstream press about PGC's estimate of the nation's natural gas `reserves' at 2,074 Tcf. These are not proved reserves as are declared by E&P players every year, but a much broader classification that includes proved, probable, possible and speculative reserves. The proved reserves tally for the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration as of year-end 2007, was around 237 billion cubic feet.As such, it is far from certain that all or ...

Eric Lemieux, metals and mining analyst with Laurentian Bank Securities, focuses on the emerging mineral wealth of the James Bay area of Quebec and discusses his favorite explorers in this exclusive interview with The Gold Report. Despite producers being more in favor, he believes the James Bay area with its exploration plays and favorable geological, geographic, and social fundamentals retains its advantages.

The Gold Report: Eric, when we last spoke (October 2008), you were focusing on mining companies in the James Bay area. You liked the area because it provided good infrastructure, a skilled workforce and promising geography. Do these advantages hold true today?

Eric Lemieux: Many things have happened since last fall that have made long-term focus and exploration plays much less attractive. Cash (the U.S. dollar) is said to be king and with gold’s rebound in December 2008, quality gold producers have been more in favor as opposed to speculative …