Earth Equity News

Sharp-Elbowed Leader Brings Oil-Patch Swagger to Wind Association. By Anne C. Mulkern, Greenwire, May 24, 2010. "Denise Bode grew up in the cradle of Oklahoma's oil industry, daughter of a Phillips Petroleum executive living in a town where that company fueled the economy. She battled for petroleum businesses for years, fighting for tax benefits and promoting natural gas as the way to ease climate change. Now she calls wind the best energy solution. Bode, 56, heads the American Wind Energy Association [AWEA], the industry's largest trade group and a rising force in the energy world. She is seen as a political powerhouse, though some environmentalists question whether she lacks true passion for green causes. There is also some resentment about her politics, as she switched from Democrat to Republican in the 1990s. 'Bode dismisses the criticism, arguing her fossil fuel background is an asset. She knows the strategies of oil and gas businesses, she said, and understands how they can partner with wind. Her change of political parties, she said, means she understands both and can bridge differences... Now in her second year at AWEA, Bode leads the organization at what many see as a pivotal time for the wind industry. Congress is considering policies that could bolster renewables. Investments in wind businesses already have boomed, amplifying AWEA's size and importance.' AWEA's annual conference took place in Dallas this week with about 20,000 attendees and nearly 1.400 company exhibits.