Clean Power Now Names Barbara Hill its new Executive Director

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enewable energy advocate Barbara Hill, who served as project coordinator for Offshore Wind with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for three and a half years, assumes the reins of the Cape Cod-based citizens advocacy group Clean Power Now as its new executive director replacing Matt Palmer, CPN's executive director for the last two years.

"As we move forward we will continue to be the locally based, grassroots focused voice" - Barbara Hill, CPN's new Executive Director

Palmer is leaving to finish work on a master's degree in public administration, which he must complete by the end of the year.

"I am honored to accept this exciting and challenging position," said Hill, who began work in her new position on July 3. "I'm also very aware that Matt's going to be a tough act to follow."

Board members told Cape Cod TODAY that Palmer's leadership helped bring about a dramatic shift in public opinion on Cape Wind.

From 55% opposed to 61% in favor in two years under palmer's leadership

A poll published in the Cape Cod Times in March 2004 showed 55% of local residents opposed to the project, compared to 45% in favor. Another poll commissioned by the paper in June 2005 showed opposition and support for the wind farm almost evenly split, at 39% to 37% respectively, with the remainder undecided.

By the spring of 2006, new polls by UMass and another by major Boston media showed overwhelming support for Cape Wind across the state, and one of them found that 61% of Cape and islands' residents are in favor of the project.

Board members also credit Palmer for having Clean Power Now play a pivotal role within a diverse, nationwide coalition of renewable energy supporters who helped Cape Wind stave off poison-pill legislation in Congress that would have derailed the project.

"We've been blessed to have such a skilled navigator at the helm," said CPN board member Bill Eddy.

Palmer said his decision to move on from Clean Power Now "was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do." "This job was a gift," he said. "For two years I was able to earn a living doing something I truly feel passionate about at the core of my soul."

"We've been blessed to have such a skilled navigator at the helm," Bill Eddy about Matt Palmer.

While working as project coordinator for offshore wind at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Hill focused on two initiatives: the Cape and Islands Offshore Wind Stakeholder Process and the Offshore Wind Collaborative.

"Upon completion of that process, our work evolved into a larger discussion about the possibilities of offshore wind development in those parts of the ocean beyond the reach of current wind technology," Hill said.

Hill also served as a member of the Offshore Wind Energy Collaborative Organizing Group consisting of MTC, General Electric and the US Department of Energy. The group worked with approximately 60 people representing environmental, regulatory, industry and marine interests for more than a year to develop "A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States."  The influential document, published in August 2005, outlines comprehensive strategies for tapping the abundance of offshore wind energy on the Outer Continental Shelf.

"As we move forward we will continue to be the locally based, grassroots focused voice," Hill said, "mobilizing and empowering individuals to speak the truth about the benefits of the Cape Wind project, and other viable renewable energy projects while at the same time supporting the integrity and transparency of the federal, state and local regulatory review processes."

About Clean Power Now; Clean Power Now is a non-profit grassroots organization that empowers citizens to support worthy offshore energy projects and policies and to secure their local and regional benefits. Clean Power Now members believe that timely development of such projects, in conjunction with energy efficiency and conservation, will bring about a cleaner environment, an improved economy and a more secure, sustainable America. Our main goal is to bolster public support for viable offshore wind projects. website.