Story of the Day: Water - The Next Oil?

It will be. And it makes sense a former oil baron is way out in front with plans to control deliver it.

Popular Mechanics: Beyond Wind Plans, Pickens Eyes Pipelines in Drought-Ridden U.S.

I knew there was more to his $4.9 billion wind-generating plans. I didn't know it was this.

It makes sense, really. To move the power from the plains to where it's needed requires right-of-way access across huge swaths of the Plains. That'll require emminent domain in some cases. Ok, now that you have emminent domain or permission to cross the property...why not use it to bring another valuable resource to the market where it's needed.

And with water, it's a pipeline used to deliver it. Oilman, energy; oilman, pipelines.

I get it. Hats off to him for his vision.

My only concern is...so much control of two vital resources for the public good, energy and water, is put in the hands of one company, one man.

Generally...that business model is good for execution. Think Rockefeller and Standard Oil at the turn of the previous century. But it's not so good for the economy as a whole to put that much control of one needed resource, production and delivery and marketing and retail and wholesale, in the hands of one man/one company. Think Rockefeller and Standard Oil again.

Now with water and energy...the model's the same. And will the impact from one company/man controlling with a stranglehold on two vital resources,  be double that of Standard Oil/Rockefeller ?