Nine years ago today, we launched the Pickens Plan. We knew we had a great idea, and people across the country agreed. We'd held focus groups and found that Americans knew about the problem, but saw that the country lacked an energy plan. They were hungry for something that would work, a specific energy plan that included a little bit of everything -- solar, wind, and natural gas. For the final podcast on the history of the Pickens Plan, I talk with Peter McCollum, strategic communicator and Partner at Whistle Lake Public Affairs, and Jason Huntsberry, President & CEO of Schenck Foods Co. Although they referred to themselves as "little cogs in a big machine," they were a major part of the tight-knit team that makes the Pickens Plan tick.

Washington, D.C. is as divided as it has ever been, and it has become difficult to set politics aside and get things done. But fortunately the Pickens Plan benefited from a bipartisan team that came together to promote a plan that has our nation’s best interests in mind. For the latest episode of the Pickens Podcast, I sat down with Rich Galen, a columnist and former press secretary for U.S. Senators Dan Quayle (R-IN) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), and Amy Weiss, former White House Deputy Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton and press secretary and campaign manager for U.S. Rep Mike Synar (D-OK). These two have reached across the aisle to help make the Pickens Plan work. It just goes to show how successful you can be when you can look past personal politics to focus on a mission.

Tammy Haddad and Heather Lauer have helped get out the word about the Pickens Plan since I was drawing it up on whiteboards and restaurant napkins. Now, they’ve moved out from behind the scenes to tell stories from nine years of the plan and to discuss the success we’ve had since my idea in the summer of 2008. We recall meetings with Gov. Sarah Palin, Gov. George Pataki and Mike Bloomberg in New York. We discuss how the plan has grown and become a success, thanks to support from all ages and both sides of the aisle.

T. Boone Pickens is joined by Jay Rosser, his right hand man for 15 years who serves as his VP of Public Affairs, and seasoned political expert Tom Synhorst, who served as the Campaign Manager of the Pickens Plan. They reminisce about the beginnings of the Plan in the summer of 2008, how we were importing $1 billion of foreign oil (it’s about half that today), how we had no energy plan and no prospects for one from either Obama or McCain, and how the campaign focused on converting heavy-duty trucks from diesel to natural gas right from the get-go.

As I have been telling you for almost a decade, the benefits of natural gas as a transportation fuel are: It’s cheaper than diesel, it’s cleaner than diesel, it’s abundant, and it’s ours. Listen to this conversation between Fred Smith of FedEx, Chris Spear of American Trucking Associations, and me as we move into a new era of the way our Federal government looks at energy and environment.

We went back to several of the most interesting conversations T. Boone Pickens had for the Pickens Podcast series in 2016 and distilled those visits to our discussions of PEOTUS Donald J. Trump. This "greatest hits" episode features Laura Ingraham, Steve Forbes, Carl Icahn, Tom Daschle & Trent Lott, and Haley Barbour. You'll find these conversations fascinating during this Inauguration Season.

New York Times reporter Joe Nocera and I taped an interesting podcast shortly after our joint appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival. This is a wide-ranging conversation with a little focus on natural gas. I think you’ll find this conversation interesting and fun. It’s also a good summary on where we have been and where we are now on energy.

Higher Education: Why is it important and who should pay for it? I went into this discussion with Jack DeGioia, President of Georgetown University, and Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami-Dade College. These two college presidents had the tough task of trying to convince me that a college education should be available to any student that wants one. They came pretty close.

Legendary journalist Tom Brokaw and Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, are my guests on this episode of the Pickens Podcast. They have teamed up to build a world-class Public Service Academy to create a next-gen class of young Americans who want to change the arc of civilian service to America. The idea is to produce civilian leadership in the same way we produce military leaders from West Point, Annapolis and the other military service academies. Tune in for this important discussion about the future of higher education and the future of public service.

Who can fix our broken Congress? That’s one of the key questions that Jane Harman will be trying to answer as she watches Monday night’s presidential debate. When I sat down with Jane, I knew of her strong Democratic credentials. I’m a committed Republican. I was worried that we’d spend a lot of time butting heads. In fact, we found some common ground, and some areas to explore further. Jane represented California’s 36th Congressional district for 18 years and is currently the president of the non-partisan Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. On top of these credentials, Jane also serves on the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Lou Holtz - a great friend of mine and a legendary football coach - joins me in a conversation to kick off college football season. I pressed and he gave his pick for National Champion. Lou was not only a great and winning coach, he was an inspiration to his players, teaching them more than blocking and tackling, but also teaching them about life. Listen to find out who this coach, teacher, and leader thinks will win it all this year.

Karen Tumulty is a senior political reporter for the Washington Post. She also moderated one of the few debates between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Now she is writing a biography of Nancy Reagan. “Nancy Reagan was not only powerful,” Karen said, “but for perhaps the first time in history didn’t care who knew it. This will be a very different book than those that were written in the 1990s.” Tune in for this very interesting peek behind the scenes with one of America’s most respected political reporters.

This week’s Pickens Podcast is an interview with Dr. Neil Bressler, MD, a Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of the Retinal Division at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Bressler is one of the world’s experts in treating the eye disease known as macular degeneration. I, along with about 8 million other Americans, have this disease, which used to be the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Due to the research Dr. Bressler and his colleagues have been conducting at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere, 75-80 percent of people with macular degeneration can have their vision preserved using modern drugs and medical techniques. If you’re over the age of 60 or have a parent or relative who is, I think you (and they) will find this discussion interesting, informative, and inspiring.

One of the giants of the energy business, John Hofmeister, sat down with T. Boone Pickens for this week's episode of the Pickens Podcast. A proven leader and proven thinker, Hofmeister shares his top energy-related goals for the United States.

One of the most important biographers in America, Walter Isaacson, sat down with T. Boone Pickens for this week’s episode of the Pickens Podcast. Walter is the head of The Aspen Institute, and presides over the Aspen Ideas Festival, which is currently underway in Aspen. Isaacson talks about the biggest changes he’s seen over the past 20 years and the most important lessons he has learned from some of the best business people, politicians, and academics in the world.

Retired four-star General James Conway tells Boone that if we want to get rid of ISIS, we need to arm and train the Sunni Tribes and the Kurds, but the Iraqi government won’t let us. On energy, Conway says that the U.S. has become a puppet being manipulated by the Saudis. He believes that an energy plan is really a national security plan. Listen to this episode of the Pickens Podcast to hear what one of America’s smartest Generals has to say.

General David Petraeus tells T. Boone Pickens during this episode of the Pickens Podcast: “We have a vital national interest in maintaining our relationships with the Middle East countries and to ensure the free flow of energy to nations around the world.” Listen to this riveting conversation for more of General Petraeus’ insights on the Middle East today.

T. Boone Pickens talks with a man who started his career working for Richard Nixon in rural Mississippi and ended up being one of the most influential – and likeable – political figures of the last 30 years: Haley Barbour. Haley was Chairman of the Republican National Committee when the GOP took over control of the U.S. House and served two terms as Governor of Mississippi.

Have a seat and enjoy this Q&A featuring best-selling author and entrepreneur, Tony Robbins, and the Oracle of Oil, T. Boone Pickens. These two thought leaders cover a wide range of topics pertaining to domestic and global energy issues as well as strategic opportunities in the United States today. This is the second of a two-part conversation.

Tony Robbins interviewed T. Boone Pickens for a special episode of the Pickens Podcast. Boone talks about growing up in Oklahoma, founding Mesa Petroleum, paying over $700 million in taxes since turning 70, and other life experiences and lessons. This is the first of a two-part conversation.

This wide-ranging discussion between Andy Serwer, Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo! Finance, and T. Boone Pickens covers everything from the changing news business to energy to the Presidential campaign. Andy talks about the end of traditional newspapers and shares the best outlets to read for news about business today. On the Presidential campaign, Andy thinks that a lot of Republicans will come around to supporting Trump. Boone and Andy also discuss Secretary Hillary Clinton’s and Senator Bernie Sanders’ opposition to fossil fuels.

This weekend, all of Washington will be celebrating the White House Correspondents' Association at their annual dinner. To honor the work of journalists in D.C., T. Boone Pickens recently hosted Carl Cannon, Washington Bureau Chief and Executive Editor for RealClearPolitics.com, one of the most respected news websites in America. During this episode of the Pickens Podcast, they discuss the state of politics in America today, as well as Boone's favorite topic: energy. This is a fascinating conversation with one of the most respected journalists in Washington whose clear-eyed view of what’s going on is well worth your time.

Larry Lindsey, one of the greatest economic minds in the nation and author of “Conspiracies of the Ruling Class,” a New York Times bestseller, said on this week’s Pickens Podcast that “we’re in the 7th year of a slow expansion. We may be running out of time before the next recession – maybe not next week, but it’s coming.” He also spoke with T. Boone Pickens about whether or not rising oil prices could kick off a recession. With the Presidency hanging in the balance, this is one of the most important discussions you may listen to all year.

T. Boone Pickens chats with Ed Rollins, one of the most interesting and accomplished political operatives of the past three decades. Rollins began his political career in California as part of then Governor Ronald Reagan’s political operation, later helping Reagan become the 40th President of the United States. Talking about the 2016 campaign, Rollins said, “there’s never been a race like this one. The closest was the 1976 campaign between President Gerald Ford and Governor Ronald Reagan – but nothing like the anger and hostility we have this year.”

This week’s Pickens Podcast features T. Boone Pickens' conversation with Leif Wenar, author of "Blood Oil". In his book, Wenar takes a serious look at the way OPEC and others have manipulated the industrialized world into dependence on their oil. He has a unique take on what needs to be done to get America on its own resources.

This week’s Pickens Podcast features two men who served as Majority Leaders of the United States Senate: Trent Lott (R) and Tom Daschle (D). They spoke with T. Boone Pickens about what’s right and what’s wrong with politics and governing in the United States today. The two long-time political opponents have written a book called “Crisis Point” about what’s wrong with the system and how to fix it. “There is nothing new about how difficult it is to govern in America,” they told Boone. “It’s been going on since the beginning of the country.”

As the NCAA March Madness Tournament kicks off, this week’s Pickens Podcast features a spirited discussion with Joe Nocera, New York Times sports/business columnist and author of the new book, "Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA." This book explores answers to questions Joe posed a few years back in a column. “How can the NCAA blithely wreck careers without regard to due process or common fairness? How can it act so ruthlessly to enforce rules that are so petty? Why won’t anybody stand up to these outrageous violations of American values and American justice?” Joe first covered T. Boone Pickens back in 1982 when Boone led a takeover battle against what was then Cities Service Oil Company. During this interesting and entertaining episode of the Pickens Podcast, Boone and Joe talk sports, business, and politics.

Prior to being elected Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge was a Republican Congressman from Erie. He left the Governor’s mansion at the call of President George W. Bush to come to Washington and set up the Department of Homeland Security of which he was the first Department Secretary. Ridge and T. Boone Pickens touched on a number of topics during this episode of the Pickens Podcast. With Ridge's unique knowledge of security issues, Boone asked him about the dispute between Apple and the Department of Justice. Ridge said that Tim Cook and the appropriate DoJ officials should get into a room and figure this out. As the Governor of Pennsylvania, he said of the fracking boom in the Marcellus Shale play that if he were still governor, he would not only have moved more quickly on pipelines to move natural gas to the ports near Philadelphia, but would also have enticed chemical, pharmaceutical, and any other industry that uses natural gas as feed stock to move into Pennsylvania to be closer to the source of their products and to have access to the energy savings natural gas provides. When Ridge was tapped by President Bush to stand up the new Department, a successor, Janet Napolitano, described the process of getting 170,000 Federal employees from different departments and agencies, on different payrolls, with different email and phone systems operating as a single unit as “the equivalent of building a ship and sailing it at the same time.” On top of all that, Tom Ridge left Harvard Law School to fight in the war in Vietnam. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant before he came home, finished law school and was elected to Congress – the first enlisted veteran of that war to do that. #PickensPodcast

Former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, Dr. Tom Coburn, talks with Boone Pickens about his plan to invoke Article V of the U.S. Constitution: "On the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, [The Congress] shall call a convention for proposing amendments ..." Dr. Coburn believes he can reach the 34 state threshold by the end of 2018 and have a Constitutional Convention of the States that will require a balanced federal budget, limit the powers of the federal government, and impose term limits on Congress.

T. Boone Pickens has known Karl Rove since the 1980s. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he is one of the best strategic political thinkers in modern times. But, what you might not know is he is establishing himself as a recognized historian of the American Presidency as a whole and on the Presidency of William McKinley in particular. This conversation covers the history of political conventions, the impact of energy issues on this year’s campaign, and Rove's book, “The Triumph of William McKinley.”

This discussion between Steve Forbes and T. Boone Pickens covers the candidates who are running for President (including the Donald Trump phenomenon), oil markets and capitalism, global politics, and the issues that will be at the forefront of the upcoming election.

T. Boone Pickens, in his continuing podcast series, sat down with legendary businessman and activist shareholder, Carl Icahn. The two men discussed energy security, including the effect of Saudi oil exports on America’s production, Carl’s views on the markets and much more.

Secretary Bob Gates was Director of Central Intelligence under President George W. Bush, then Defense Secretary under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Washington Post said he is "widely considered the best defense secretary of the post-World War II era." This conversation covers national security generally, and focuses on what it means to global oil to have the Russians setting up shop in the Middle East.

Stephen Moore is one of the most respected economists in the nation. And he has hands-on experience dealing with both the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal government. Stephen is currently the Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, at The Heritage Foundation. His background includes many years as a writer for the Wall Street Journal.

T. Boone Pickens and radio talk show host, best-selling author, and conservative political commentator, Laura Ingraham, discussed the upcoming election during a recent visit to Mesa Vista Ranch.

During a retreat at his Mesa Vista Ranch, T. Boone Pickens sat down with NYT best selling author, speaker, and director, Dinesh D'Souza, to talk about the 2016 election.

T. Boone Pickens talks energy and politics with long-time political analyst and campaign expert, Alex Castellanos. Alex is a Republican who has teamed up with a well-known Democrat to establish "Purple Strategies" (combining GOP Red and Democrat Blue) to help find new solutions to old problems. Follow the conversation on Twitter with @BoonePickens and @alexcast.

T. Boone Pickens and the Hudson Institute's Dr. Arthur Herman talk about the enormous impact hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have had on OPEC and the world economy in general. They also explore how fracking is affecting Russia’s economy and Putin’s view of the United States. The conversation includes discussion of the Keystone Pipeline and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Follow @arthurlherman and @boonepickens on Twitter.

Boone discusses America's latest energy challenges and advances with former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane. @boonepickens @pickensplan

The Honorable Michael McCaul represents the tenth district in Texas and serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman McCaul shares his thoughts on the deep connections between energy and security in a freewheeling and engaging conversation with Boone. @RepMcCaul @boonepickens @pickensplan

T. Boone Pickens and Brigitte Gabriel, President and Founder of Act for America, discuss radical ideology and energy security.

Robbie Diamond, Founder, President and CEO of Securing America's Future Energy, talks with T. Boone Pickens about how we can bring alternative energy solutions into the market so the United States isn't totally dependent on oil.

Former CIA Director James Woolsey and T. Boone Pickens discuss global politics, oil prices, and the path America can take to achieve energy independence.

Boone and General Charles Wald discuss American leadership, the cost of protecting the world's oil in the Middle East, military spending, and presidential promises over the past 40+ years.

In a talk with Greg Dalton for Climate One at the Commonwealth Club of California, T. Boone Pickens discusses Powering America’s Future. Their conversation focuses on oil, natural gas, the new geopolitics of energy, and a little bit of Oklahoma football.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and policy expert John Bolton joins Boone in a freewheeling discussion touching on energy prices, Iran's current and future role as an oil producer and the prospects for Hillary Clinton as the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.

Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer and Boone discuss the flexibility of the U.S./Canadian relationship and Amb. Doer shares his thoughts on why he is confident that the Keystone Pipeline will eventually become a reality.