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newsroom
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION’S NEW PRESIDENT With the U.S. Department of Energy having recently stated the feasibility of wind power supplying 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030, the newly elected President and Board of Directors of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) have a clear objective to pursue. “We have just begun to see wind power’s potential to create economic benefits and fight global warming,” said AWEA President Jim Walker, Vice Chairman of the Board of enXco, Inc. “Wind power offers a promise of economic opportunity and jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, and of a cleaner, cooler planet for our children and grandchildren. We will work hard in pursuit of that vision and in pursuit of the investment and policies that are needed to make it happen.” If the 20% wind vision is achieved, Walker added, electric industry emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading greenhouse gas, would be reduced by 25% from projected levels—equivalent to taking 140 million vehicles off the road: “Laying the foundation for the 20% vision is job one.” enXco develops, owns and operates wind projects and is a subsidiary of EdF Energies Nouvelles. Walker has over 30 years experience in energy, including as Executive Director, Commissioner and Vice Chairman of the California Energy Commission. He has been a member of the Board of AWEA since 2005. He also serves as Chairman of AWEA’s Siting Committee where he has sought to work proactively with environmental groups and government agencies to anticipate local siting issues that may be associated with rapid wind industry growth. Don Furman, Senior Vice President of Iberdrola Renewables and Chair of AWEA’s Transmission Committee, will succeed Walker as President-Elect. Most existing members of the AWEA Board of Directors were elected to new terms, with the addition of Gabriel Alonso, Chief Development Officer with Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy, and, in newly-created advisory positions, Declan Flanagan, E.ON Climate & Renewables North America Inc.; David Giordano, Babcock & Brown LP; and Randolph Mann, Edison Mission Energy (EME). John Calaway, Chief Development Officer with Babcock & Brown LP, stepped down, as did Michael Skelly, who is on leave from Horizon Wind Energy in order to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Board of Directors governs the Association and sets strategic priorities for its activities. “We thank all our Board members for their dedication, hard work, and strategic vision,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This new Board and its new President will lead the Association at a time of extraordinary growth. In 2007, wind power supplied more than a third of the nation’s new electrical generation capacity. By 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind could generate 20% of the nation’s entire electricity supply, helping power a cleaner, stronger America. Wind power today is serious business.” The American Wind Energy Association has grown from about 200 business members in 2000 to over 1,500 today, including many companies entering the wind power supply chain, and national and multinational companies that are further increasing their already sizable investments in wind energy technology. For the full list of the members of the Board of Directors of the American Wind Energy Association, see http://www.awea.org/about/board_of_directors.html. AWEA is the national trade association of America’s wind industry, with a membership that includes global leaders in wind power development, wind turbine manufacturing, and energy, as well as a broad range of component and service suppliers. More information on wind energy is available at the # # #
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