Natural Gas is the Key to Winning the War on Terror

Pickens Plan Army:

It's past time for America to diversify its transportation demand beyond oil. That's my message to TIME magazine readers on the seventh anniversary of the Pickens Plan. The truth is we're funding both sides in the War Against Terrorism, and ISIS is taking full advantage of this.

ISIS is now funding a considerable amount of its activities - perhaps as much as $3 million per day - by illegally selling oil captured in Iraq and Syria on the world markets.

I've always said I'm for everything American, and America has made some big gains since I launched the Pickens Plan in 2008. Our production of oil and gas in the U.S. has skyrocketed. So has the efficiency of our vehicles. And if we can expand the market for affordable battery-powered cars, I think we should do that, too.

But our elected officials have yet to take advantage of our trump card: moving our heavy-duty trucks from diesel to natural gas. As the 2016 election approaches, that needs to be our top priority.

We need national leadership, and every candidate for federal office - from Congress to the U.S. Senate and certainly for the presidency - should be prepared to offer a clear, complete, and workable national energy plan. This has to be a key element of the 2016 election cycle. Americans can ill afford being lulled into a false sense of energy security because of temporarily cheaper gasoline prices at the pump.

- Boone