Wind power should account for 20% of U.S. energy needs within a decade – compared with virtually nothing now – as the country’s energy needs are increasingly taken care of by sources of alternative energy, former Texas oilman-turned-wind-power-entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens told Congress last week. Speaking before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, the legendary investor warned that crude oil prices could rocket past the $300 a barrel level within the next 10 years as global reserves decline. Pickens also was there to lobby for the construction of energy transmission lines from his Texas-based wind power Pampa Project, currently under construction, and an eventual $10 billion alternative energy project that has the potential to become the world’s largest wind farm. At a time when the U.S. economy is facing its first nationwide energy squeeze since the gasoline shortages of 1974 and 1979, Pickens is politicking for wind power. Oil prices recently hit new records near $150 a barrel, before backing off slightly, although consumers continue to worry about summer gasoline prices and winter heating-oil costs. It could end up being a global competitiveness issue, as well, since China is making wind power a priority; […]