Mideast chaos and Japan's nuclear crisis spur MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan to host energy discussion in Oklahoma

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Boone Pickens and James Woolsey, Former CIA Director Among the Top Experts To Speak On the United States' energy policy and the need to end the country's dependence on Mid-East Oil

MSNBC’s "The Dylan Ratigan Show" announced the guests for its three-day energy summit and town hall today for its panel in Oklahoma later this week. Ratigan has assembled a team of experts including:

• Boone Pickens, Oil Tycoon & Founder, BP Capital Management
• James Woolsey, Former CIA Director
• Bob Deans, Associate Director of Communications – Natural Resources Defense Council
• Ashwin Madia, VoteVets.org

They will all speak on the urgent issue of dependency on foreign oil at the “Steel on Wheels tour,’ from Wednesday, March 30-Friday, April 1, 2011 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“The dual crisis in Japan and the Mideast has made it clear to that Washington has failed for decades to set energy policy right and it is now up to us, the American People, to lead a discussion on the importance of energy independence in America,” said MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan.

The energy summit is part of the “Steel on Wheels” tour, which has visited a total of nine cities since its launch in December of 2010, probing different resolutions for issues facing the country.

For the last “Steel on Wheels” tour, Ratigan has asked the top specialists in the energy and nuclear fields to come together to discuss the urgent nuclear crisis unfolding in Japan, the revolution in the Mideast, and how it will affect America as we seek energy independence.

The schedule, which is outlined below, is open to media that RSVP. Viewers can watch the summit live on MSNBC at 4PM ET and attend the town hall on Thursday, March 31 at Oklahoma State University.

• Wednesday, March 30, 2011 – “Steel on Wheels Energy Summit: Day One” from Oklahoma City, OK - Truck Travel Stop

• Thursday, March 31, 2011 - “Steel on Wheels Energy Summit: Day Two” from Stillwater, OK - OSU campus

• • In addition, there will be special town hall open to the public on the OSU campus at 7:00PM CT.
  • The town hall will stream live on http://www.steelonwheels.com and http://www.dylanratigan.com (***see below for directions***)

• • If you have a question that you would like to ask the panel via Skype, email info@DylanRatigan.com to find out more. You can also follow the conversation via twitter by following @DylanRatigan and #SteelonWheels, and at Facebook.com/DylanMSNBC.

• Friday, April 1, 2011 - “Steel on Wheels Energy Summit: Day Three” from Stillwater, OK - OSU campus

Ratigan, “For this three-day summit, we’re bringing in people from politics, the oil and gas industries to the people of the Green and Nuclear movements to come up with a plan that frees America from the Mid-East oil vice.”

The “Steel on Wheels” Energy Summit will air live during MSNBC’s ‘The Dylan Ratigan Show’ at 4PM ET.

****In addition, the town hall will be live streaming our panel starting at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CST. To become apart of our streaming syndicate, follow the instructions below:

1) Go toDylanRatigan.com/live

2) Click on Share & Embed Options on the video player

3) Copy Embed code

4) Paste Embed code within your website/blogs Html page

5) Email info@DylanRatigan.com to let us know that you are streaming or if you need technical assistance

For more information on “Steel on Wheels” and the Nucor Corporation, please visit http://www.steelonwheels.com. “The Dylan Ratigan Show” airs weekdays at 4 PM ET on MSNBC. Steve Friedman is Executive Producer.

About MSNBC’s “Steel on Wheels”

"Steel on Wheels," is an innovative road show dedicated to examining solutions to the most pressing problems facing the American people. What differentiates the campaign is the unique formula of tackling the nation’s most pressing problems. Here are a few examples:

• How to Fix: Healthcare (look at the Mayo Clinic’s business model) – Dylan broadcasted his show live from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. An effective, working model for affordable health care; Dylan showcased how this model can be replicated on a national scale for all Americans. The Mayo Clinic is known for its innovative and cost-effective treatments and patient care, consistently ranked as the top healthcare clinic in the country.

• How to Fix: Education (examine the Buffett model for early education and how it leads to job creation) – replicate the Buffett Foundation for early education –Dylan did a show with Susie Buffett on her family’s foundation, which Dylan believes can be adapted to a larger scale… The Buffett model believes that reaching children early (under 4 yrs old) is far more critical in developing their minds than reaching them later in childhood, which is what most educational systems do.

• How to Fix: Economy: (look at Boulder, CO) - Boulder has become the new "Silicon Valley" where big ideas, young talent and funding are merging to spurt innovation – can this lead to other burgeoning economies?

• How to Fix: Reclaiming High-Paying Manufacturing Jobs” – The Dylan Ratigan Show interviewed experts from the Future of Flight Aviation Center to discuss solutions to reclaim manufacturing jobs in the American workforce. The Future of Flight Aviation Center is located in Mukilteo, WA, located 25 miles north of Seattle and a regional transportation hub for the State Ferry System.

• How to Fix: Public Works Projects” - The Dylan Ratigan Show visited the Hoover Dam, which is considered to be one of the most successful public works programs in terms of the many benefits it provides. In addition, the show will focus on the crisis in Nevada, which is considered to be the epicenter of the nation’s foreclosure crisis.