Steve Kropper, Massachusetts State Leader

-Tell us a little about yourself

I am the founder and CEO of WindPole Ventures, chartered to build a national, hub-height network that provides real time wind speed and direction data for power traders, ISO/RTO, wind developers and operators.  I’m a Founding Fellow in the NE Clean Energy Council.  My previous start up, Domania.com built the first national database on closed home prices, and ran the service for Chase, Citi, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, AOL, Yahoo and many other financial and media brands.  I’m an elected Town Meeting member in Lexington, MA and I chair the Energy Conservation Committee which cut energy use in town and school buildings by 8% last year.  In the early eighties I was in energy, managing conservation for three Boston Hospitals, and doing the first super-insulated retrofit in the US – using lights and body heat provide more than half of the heat. I am an Eagle Scout, the father of two daughters and have an MBA from Cornell.

-Why are you a part of the Pickens Plan?

The complexity of the energy issue obscures how our dependence on fossil fuels threatens national security, public health and jobs.  The Pickens Plan simplifies these issues to a few actionable steps that will create jobs, provide level energy prices and chip away at the carbon emissions problem.  Pickens, a straight talking oil man, has managed to capture the nation’s attention with a clear message that wind power and a switch to natural gas are actionable near term solutions.  That’s easy to get behind.

-Tell us about things you’ve done to promote the Pickens Plan

Through my many speeches each year on energy and recent meetings with Representative Markey, Secretaries Chu, Salazar and Locke, I have advanced the message that energy independence is a jobs and environmental issue.   The Obama administration needs no persuading, but Congress needs pressure on them because well connected legacy stakeholders threaten passage of the job growth and environmental benefits of the climate/energy bill.

-Share one idea for what you’d like to accomplish through your work with the Pickens Plan in the next 3 months.

Denmark gets ~20% of its power from wind, Spain over 10%, and last year wind power was the #1 source of new generation in the US.  My goal is to make more Americans aware that wind development is accelerating and that it is a here and now solution to our problems.  In 2010, I’ll spend a lot of time educating the public.

“Meet the Army” is a series here on Daily Pickens featuring New Energy Army members and how they are making a difference by being involved in the Pickens Plan. Who knows, maybe we’ll see you here soon! Click here to join your State and District Groups and get involved.