BAKERSFIELD - Country music legend Merle Haggard is burnishing his rebel image with talk of setting up an alternative energy business in his oil-rich hometown.

The "Okie from Muskogee" said he's considering buying a second home near Oildale and founding a "sensible" green energy project to help the United States kick its fossil-fuel habit.

The project with local resident and actor Charlie Napier could also feature a museum and live music venue.

Haggard's old friend Willie Nelson has championed the development of alternative fuels, developing the BioWillie brand of biodiesel for truckers.

Haggard, a Grammy Award-winning artist, is best-known for hits such as "If We're Not Back in Love by Monday," "Pancho and Lefty" and "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink." In the song "Kern River," he sings, "I grew up in an oil town, but my gusher never came in."

More than three-quarters of California's crude oil and 82 percent of the state's onshore production is generated in Kern County, according to 2004 figures from the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.

Haggard hasn't lived in the Oildale area in 30 years, but Kern County officials recently voted to rename a portion of 7th Standard Road Merle Haggard Drive.

Haggard, who turns 70 in April, has a concert Wednesday in Bakersfield to help pay for the road's name change.