The U.S. has the resources to reduce its dependency on foreign oil, according to Texas billionaire and alternative energy aficionado T. Boone Pickens, giving the Green Truck Summit keynote speech at the Work Truck Show Tuesday morning.

“The point of the story is we have resources here,” Pickens said. “We are overwhelmed with natural gas.” The U.S. imports a staggering 70 percent of the oil it uses, Pickens said.

Currently, Canada is the largest oil supplier to the U.S., followed by Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Pickens called Canada and Mexico our “friendly” partners, but warned that Mexico has some serious problems and will need to begin importing oil in less than five years.

“If you don’t have an energy plan, you’re for foreign oil,” Pickens said, adding that it was unbelievable that an 80-year-old had come up with the nation’s energy plan.

Pickens did, however, realistically acknowledge that it will be “inconvenient” to switch fuels and that many Americans are opposed to change.

Still, Pickens estimates that in five years, the U.S. will have reduced its dependence on foreign oil by about 30 percent. He also said that harnessing electricity from the ocean and waves could be a real possibility in the future.

But the movement has got to start now, Pickens said. He encouraged the mostly middle-aged, male crowd at McCormick Place Convention Center to sign up for his Pickens Plan online and register for the virtual march on Washington to take place April 1.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and if you didn’t do it then, the second best time is today,” Pickens said.