Philanthropist and activist Madeleine Pickens (the wife of T. Boone Pickens), along with horse advocate Jerry Reynoldson, discussed their quest to save thirty-thousand wild horses by building a sanctuary for them. These wild horses are currently kept in holding facilities by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at an increasing cost to taxpayers. In this current environment, the animals can't run or exercise or even get much shade, said Pickens, who added that this arrangement is neither fair for the horses, or the taxpayers.
She has proposed that a private foundation create a sanctuary for the wild horses. About one million acres in size, the sanctuary would be securely fenced in so the horses don't graze on neighbors' property, she explained. Such a sanctuary, placed in Nevada, for instance, could serve as an historical/educational attraction, and highlight the wild Mustang as part of America's heritage, said Pickens and Reynoldson.
Reynoldson noted the proposed foundation would be a non-profit, and though there is congressional support for it, he warned there was still a chance that the government would OK killing some of the horses, so it was important for citizens to get involved and support the sanctuary proposal.
Foreign Oil Independence
First hour guest, legendary oil and gas executive T. Boone Pickens laid out his groundbreaking plan to stop America's dependence on foreign oil. His non-partisan "blueprint" calls for accessing U.S. reserves of natural gas (which doesn't need processing in an oil refinery), and developing vehicles such as trucks that can run on it. Natural gas could act as a stopgap measure for the next 20-30 years, until renewable methods are in place. He is also an advocate for wind power, and is developing a wind farm in Texas that will eventually produce 4,000 megawatts of power.