Commenter Nezumi has done a little picking apart of the Pickens Plan.

I would be surprised if Pickens hadn’t thought through the tax implications of his proposal in a way that some would regard as “gaming the system.” But who would begrudge someone for following the incentives set up by the tax system? They are slightly Rube Goldberg, don’tchya know.

So, is the picture to the right a T. Boone Pickens wind farm or his tax strategy?

There are dozens more bills with energy-related tax incentives out there. The Geothermal Heat Pump Development Act of 2007 (Senate version) has been the subject of some intelligent commentary. There two related bills in the House.

Geothermal is pretty cool. We’re not talking about tapping geysers, but making use of the relatively constant temperaturs of earth just a few tens of feet below the surface. What’s the right answer? Should alternative energy stand on its own two economic feet? Or should tax policy promote it?

Here’s the current vote on the Senate version of the Geothermal Heat Pump Development Act of 2007. Click to vote, comment, learn more, and edit the wiki article about the bill: