National Steering Committee for 25x'25 Alliance adds new members from academia, military, government, business who aim to get U.S. policymakers' support for clean energy solutions

Alison Gallant

LUTHERVILLE, Maryland , February 9, 2011 (press release) – Nationally recognized and respected leaders in federal agricultural and energy policy, state energy policies, research, and military applications of renewable energy have accepted positions on the 25x'25 National Steering Committee.

New members include Len Bull, past chairman of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture; Brian Dubie, former Lt. Governor of Vermont; Retired Vice Admiral Denny McGinn, a former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs at the Pentagon and commander of the U.S. Third Fleet; Bobby Moser, vice president and Dean of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, at The Ohio State University; and Bill Northey, Secretary of the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Also joining the Steering Committee are Adam Putnam, Commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and a former member of the House of Representatives from Florida's 12th Congressional District; Lola Spradley, former Colorado House Speaker who co-chaired the Colorado Renewable Energy Amendment 37 initiative, the first state renewable portfolio standard in the country adopted by voters; and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, who represented the 32-county, 17th Congressional District of Texas on the House Agriculture Committee for 26 years.

"These respected leaders come from a wide array of political, military, academic and civic backgrounds," said 25x'25 Project Coordinator Ernie Shea. "But they all possess a commitment to a new energy future that will help enable 25x'25 to reframe the national energy conversation by focusing on how clean energy solutions from farms, ranches and forests will drive economic development, improve national security and provide valuable ecosystem services."

Shea said that all of the newest members joining the sitting veterans aboard the Steering Committee have a great capacity for consensus-building. "They will be invaluable this year as we continue to forge agreement on the policies needed to achieve the 25x’25 vision, and then secure policy maker support for the solutions that the agriculture and forest sectors can supply to meet our energy problems," Shea said.

The 25x'25 Alliance is a national initiative made up of nearly 1,000 endorsing organizations, companies and governmental jurisdictions across the country that work to see that by 2025, America's farms, forests and ranches will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed and fiber.

"These are all welcome additions to a volunteer steering committee that is made up of selfless individuals who have given their time and effort to the achievement of a distinct, renewable energy vision in this country," said Read Smith, a Washington state grain farmer and co-chairman of the Steering Committee. "We are exceptionally pleased at the level of expertise and the standing within their respective fields that these new steering committee members will bring to the 25x'25 mission."

"Each new Steering Committee member brings something of great value to our discussions," said co-chair Bill Richards, a former chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service. "They all have lengthy records of public service and are renowned for their leadership and their ability to bring together various elements to reach consensus. Their ability to bridge gaps among divergent interests will go far in helping us achieve a 25x'25 renewable energy future that keeps our economy vibrant, our energy secured and our environment improved."

Len Bull. A former professor of animal science and associate director of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center at North Carolina State University, he is a founding committee member and past president of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, past president and CEO of the American Society of Animal Science and vice president of the World Association for Animal Production. To his credit are more than 200 published papers, abstracts, book chapters, symposium proceedings, printed presentations and other publications. Bull is also a member of the 25x'25 Carbon Work Group.

Brian Dubie. After first taking office as Vermont's lieutenant governor in 2003, Dubie served four, two-year terms and was active on energy issues, economic development and agriculture. A commercial pilot, he is a highly decorated officer with the Air Force, having been commended for his actions at "Ground Zero" following the 9/11 attacks, and on the Gulf Coast in the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina. With his brother, Mark, Brian Dubie is co-owner and co-operator of a 20,000-tap organic maple sugaring operation.

Vice Admiral Denny McGinn (Ret.). McGinn is the chairman and CEO of RemoteReality, a next-generation surveillance and security design and manufacturing firm. Previously, he served five years with Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest nonprofit independent research and development organization, where he was a corporate officer and led the energy, transportation and environment division. Additional assignments with Battelle included serving as vice president of strategic planning and national security business development, and as a director on the Board of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Prior to joining Battelle, McGinn served 35 years with the U.S. Navy as a naval aviator, test pilot, aircraft carrier commanding officer, and national security strategist.

Bobby Moser, Dean, Vice President of Agricultural Administration at The Ohio State University. Moser has been head administrator of OSU's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences since 1991. He has been Vice President of University Outreach and Engagement at Ohio State University since 2001. He served as the Director of Extension from his arrival at OSU in 1988 until he was named vice president. From 1986 to 1988, he served as Associate Dean of Agriculture, and Agriculture Extension Program Director at the University of Missouri. Previously, he chaired the Department of Animal Science at Missouri, and before that, served on the animal science faculty at the University of Nebraska.

Bill Northey. A fourth-generation Iowa farmer that grows corn and soybeans on his farm near Spirit Lake, the state Secretary of Agriculture started farming with his grandfather after graduating from Iowa State University in 1981. He's a past chairman and a former president of the National Corn Growers Association. Northey is a co-founder and former president of Innovative Growers LLC, and a former commissioner with the Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District. He was elected to head the state's Agriculture Department in November, 2006 and his priorities as Secretary are advancing the opportunities available through renewable energy, promoting conservation and stewardship.

Adam Putnam. A fifth generation cattle rancher and citrus grower from Polk County, FL, Putnam was recently elected as the state's 11th Commissioner of Agriculture. During his tenure in Congress, he served as a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Other assignments included the Committee on Government Reform, where he served as a subcommittee chairman, and the Rules and the Financial Services committees. Putnam was also elected to the chairmanship of the House Republican Conference. Throughout his Congressional career, Putnam was recognized as a leader on a variety of issues, most notably agriculture and energy. Putnam Adam previously served in the Florida House of Representatives, being elected to the state House at the age of 22, and quickly became the chairman of the Florida House Agriculture Committee.

Lola Spradley. A former Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives, Bradley was the first woman in Colorado’s history to be elected as Speaker. She was Assistant Vice President/Division Manager with AT&T, a rancher and small business owner. She served in the Colorado Legislature from 1997 to 2004, becoming Speaker in 2003. She was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Saving Open Spaces, Farms and Ranches. Her leadership has been vital on the issues of renewable energy, conservation easement tax credits, water, economic development, small business and agriculture. She co-chaired the Colorado Renewable Energy Amendment 37 initiative, the first state renewable portfolio standard in the country adopted by voters.

Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm. Currently a senior policy advisor at the Washington firm of Olsson Frank Weeda, Stenholm served 13 terms as a congressman from his home state. While serving on the House Agriculture Committee, he was the committee’s ranking Democrat for his last eight years, until 2004. He earned a reputation for building bipartisan alliances in areas as diverse as agriculture, energy, resource conservation, and the budget, among others. A farmer and a third-generation Texan, the Texas Tech graduate taught agriculture at a high school and helped his father grow cotton and wheat, and raise cattle before earning a seat in Congress in 1978. In 1995, Stenholm helped found the Blue Dog Coalition, an alliance of conservative Democrats. He is a strong advocate for a market-based energy policy that balances the need to develop what will ultimately be a finite supply of fossil fuels with the a call for expanded production of sustainable biofuels.

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