PRESS RELEASE: AWEA, RENEW-NE applaud New England Governors’ resolution to procure renewable energy

WASHINGTON, DC AND MADISON, CONN., Aug. 1, 2012 – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and its regional partner, Renewable Energy New England (RENEW), applauded the New England Governors' Conference for unanimously passing a resolution to coordinate regional renewable energy procurement directing the release of a request for proposal (RFP) for renewable energy next year.

Specifically, the resolution charges the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE) with developing and implementing a work plan on behalf of the New England Governors that will result in the release of an RFP for renewable energy in 2013—allowing six states to capture economies of scale by joining together to secure power contracts. The resolution, proposed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, is the culmination of years of work led by NESCOE on behalf of the New England Governors.

The news came during what has turned out to be a great week for New England renewable energy. In Massachusetts, the state legislature approved an expansion of the Green Communities Act, which currently requires that 3 percent of the state's electricity be procured by the utilities using long-term renewable energy contracts. The new legislation raises that target to 7 percent by 2016.

"This is an historic week for renewable energy in New England," said RENEW Executive Director Francis Pullaro. "The New England Governors' unanimous vote was a resounding 'yes' to more renewable energy, more jobs, and lower-cost electricity for New England. We thank the governors, along with Massachusetts leadership, for their hard work and vision on this key issue for our region."

"Congratulations to the New England Governors and all six New England states for embracing the multiple economic and other benefits of renewable energy," said Christy Omohundro, regional representative for the East at AWEA. "Wind power gives regions all across America affordable, stably priced power, and so we thank New England's governors and legislators for their leadership and vision in helping to implement strong policy that creates jobs and generates affordable electricity."

Fittingly, in little over a month, AWEA will be holding its Regional Wind Energy Summit – New England, which will take place Sept. 5-6, 2012 in Portland, Maine. The implications of the newly minted state and regional policies are sure to be major topics of discussion at the event. AWEA recently saw a need for regional events as a way for participants to focus on topics affecting their particular region while saving time and travel costs. The concept has taken off, and the Portland event will be the first Summit to focus on the New England region.

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RENEW is a non-profit association uniting the renewable energy industry and environmental interest groups whose mission involves coordinating the ideas and resources of its members with the goal of increasing environmentally sustainable energy generation in New England from the region's abundant renewable energy resources. Information about wind energy in New England is at RENEW's website www.renew-ne.org.

AWEA is the national trade association of America's wind industry, with more than 2,500 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world's largest wind power trade show, the WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, which takes place next in Atlanta, June 2-6, 2012. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. Look up information on wind energy at the AWEA website. Find insight on industry issues at AWEA's blog Into the Wind. Join AWEA on Facebook. Follow AWEA on Twitter.