Pickens sees no support for fossil fuels

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HOUSTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's policies regarding the renewable energy sector suggests it's no longer interested in fossil fuels, said T. Boone Pickens.

Pickens told an energy conference in Houston that depending on oil from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to support the U.S. economy was putting money in the hands of national enemies.

"When we buy OPEC oil, we're paying money to the Taliban," he was quoted by energy reporting website Rigzone as saying.

A supporter of the natural gas industry, Pickens said renewable energy policies envisioned by U.S. President Barack Obama were out of step with national energy developments.

"With all their talk of green and cutting coal fired plants, it comes down to the fact that they really don't like anything that's fossil," Pickens said.

Industry supporters are pressing for more U.S. export options by way of liquefied natural gas. New technologies used to extract oil and natural gas from shale formations has put the United States in a leadership position in the global energy sector.

Pickens said as much as 2 million barrels of oil flows through the volatile Strait of Hormuz on its way to the United States.