Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition welcomes new leadership

The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition has announced its new leadership for 2016. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will take over as chairman, while Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo will step in as vice chair.

“I look forward to working with Governor Raimondo and our Coalition colleagues to help the wind energy industry diversify our nation’s energy portfolio and drive economic development in our states,” said Governor Branstad. “We will continue to share best practices across the states and work with Federal leaders to deliver stability and predictability in supportive Federal policies.”

“As the governor of the first state in the nation to develop offshore wind resources, I look forward to working with other governors to expand offshore wind, and to collaborating with states in other parts of the nation to open new markets for wind power. Wind power expansion will create jobs, diversify our energy sources, and ensure long-term energy affordability,” Governor Raimondo said.

Gov. Branstad has a strong, lengthy track record of promoting wind energy, having first supported policies to grow wind in 1983. Due in large part to his leadership, Iowa generated 28.5 percent of its energy with wind in 2014. Likewise, Gov. Raimondo helped Rhode Island become the first U.S. state to begin construction on an offshore wind farm.

Learn more about the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition at http://www.governorswindenergycoalition.org/.