CleanTech Week in Review: T. Boone Pickens pitches taxpayers for a Texas-sized handout; Toyota’s labor practices come under fire; and is Peak Water for real?

Big Pickens: T. Boone, the Oilman, Ups the Ante in His Wind Bet: Oilman T. Boone Pickens isn’t going to let a little thing like the coming collapse of the petroleum industry stop him from being an energy baron. And he wants you to help pay for it. Pickens is planning a PR blitz between now and election day, touting a plan for energy independence based on windpower and natural gas. But such an ambitious escalation of U.S. windpower — serviced by wind farms owned by Pickens — would require hundred of billion in subsidies footed by American taxpayers. Be ready to be pitched. (WSJ.com)

Ruling finds Japanese man died from overwork: A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that a top engineer working on Toyota’s hybrid Camry program literally worked himself to death. The 45 year-old designer routinely clocked 80 hours of overtime in the two months leading to his death from heart failure. Toyota — which had been the market leader in automotive hybrid technology — is facing increasing criticism over its labor policies. A group called the National Labor Committee maintains a website accusing the Japanese automaker of sweatshop abuse, complicity with the military junta in Burma, suppressing wages and labor organization, and human trafficking of imported labor from China and Vietnam. (CNN)

Gas Pains: Falling U.S. Demand Doesn’t Make a Difference: American drivers have been slowly easing back on the gas — or leaving their cars in the driveway. but in terms of the current run of high fuel prices, these actions shouldn’t have as much lasting effect as the marketplace. Gasoline stocks are building up, and no analysts expect any shortages through the summer. That should have the effect of driving prices down. Eventually. (WSJ.com)

U.S. Faces Era Of Water Scarcity: Profligate Use Hurts In Unexpected Places; Quest For New Supplies Nationwide: Atlanta nearly ran out of water last summer. The America Southwest is suffering record droughts. It’s not just climate — it’s bad planning and non-sustainable lifestyles which threaten to plunge the United States into a water crisis within the decade. Possible recovery strategies: desalinization projects, radical economy — and relocating populations to areas with more available water. (CSR Wire)

BMW Group Preparing Electric MINIs for Field Testing: The popular Mini subcompact will soon be available in an electric model — in very limited numbers. Mini parent company BMW says they’re prepping “several hundred” plug-in versions for road testing. About 490 Minis are earmarked for California roads. Few details are available, though it’s believed the Mini’s new electric power plant will be manufactured in Munich before final assembly in the UK. (Green Car Congress)

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