Here he speaks with Fox Business News' Liz Claman. I was very impressed with her coverage* of the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, she's pretty sharp.
Here's the transcript of her talk with Boone. From Fox Business News (it's auto generated and it shows):
" we just finished up fireside chat of course there was no fireplace because it's your bag of hello. But a fireside chat that I moderated with Boone Pickens the oilman of BP capital that turned wind and alternative energies including natural gas. He is here right now to talk to -- explicitly and should give us. A brand new prediction on oil prices welcome and thank you for being here they -- was a -- getting interviews kind of kind of energetic we have for an hour in front of a bunch of private equity in about a thousand people 2000 people you could hear him drop I think especially when he talks about your predictions about our usage. We're we're getting our oil from enemies. From Arab countries that don't like us in many cases but we -- just discussing your prediction for oil now. Your previous prediction was that we would see sixteen before forty. What here to our Fox Business viewers first here on fox is your newest production of oil prices after we touched sixty dollars a barrel yesterday."
" So you're gonna give me sixty 'cause we tested -- you got it okay that prediction made on March 5. The sixty before forward today is coming you sanity before fifty. And I'll say that it will be 75 dollars by the end here."
" Oil will be 75 dollars before the end of the year and we will see seventy dollars oil before fifty that track what you you won't go back -- what is going on. Out there that is Jack thanks so much higher when we have an economy that is still floundering."
" Well you gotta you gotta projection for 84 million barrels a day. We produce 85 million globally so you're pretty close it's it's almost imbalance and OPEC has cut back on production and they are complying with the cutbacks. So you're gonna enlist in the -- of -- attack in and you're gonna have saved -- they anybody in the U."
" Tell me what you think of what's going on in the Middle East right now we touched a lot upon Saudi Arabia our friendship which is so -- at times questionable. With Saudi Arabia and some of the people in the audience here this private equity and investment banker event wondered. What happens as we see for example the Taliban getting closer to Pakistan what happens if fundamentalists were to take over or do something that's obviously what happens oil prices that. It."
" Saudi Arabia -- it. Oh my gosh I mean you're gonna you have 20300 dollar oil overnight. So. No I mean this weird it's racer theme -- race -- the -- where you are. When -- importing. 68% a year off and over half of that coming from unfriendly countries two hours. I mean my gosh and anything goes off track we're in trouble abstinence that's where you are we only produce in this country five million barrels. And we're using point one me. Now we do have two million barrels of natural history it's that. We -- we're producing about 13 what we need every day in the case."
" You have spokesman with. President Obama back when he was a senator do you feel the Obama administration understands and gets that we need a major energy plant here."
" Absolutely did I don't -- question they understand that they get -- sit in in here we will not be imported -- from the eighties. Now he's suffered say it four times he means it he has a plane in -- cannot make those statements without a plane. Because you have -- plane plane is to use resources in the matter his way of war and the only resource it was an eighteen week. -- we have an abundance. His natural game. It's cleaner it's cheaper. It's abundantly towers and they're going to use that's what it's an energy plan in this field it is drop in the past. I'm born and now. And Larsen. And solve that deal was dropped three weeks ago and that fixes the natural gas is it may be needed fuel for eighteen Wheeler.">>>Here's the video and the rest of the transcript.
HT: TheDeal.com who pulled this quote:
...From a supply and demand standpoint, the situation is acute. "I promise you this is going to get tight, very, very quick," said Pickens. "You're going to be back to $75 oil by the end of the year" -- and $200 per barrel within five years.
The 80-year-old Oklahoman also has grave concerns over U.S. debt levels, though he made sure to qualify those comments. "I'm not an economist," said Pickens. "You know what an economist is? That's the guy who didn't have the personality to be a CPA."...
And, of course, a CPA is the fellow who didn't have the charisma to become an actuary.
Update: Warren Buffett/Berkshire Hathaway 2009 Annual Meeting Links (BRK.A)
