US solar lobby group names 'bridge builder' as new leader

Washington

THE US solar industry's top lobbying group named energy policymaker Abigail Ross Hopper as its new chief executive, pledging pragmatism as the sector prepares to work with an incoming president who has expressed doubts about its importance.

Ms Hopper joins the Washington-based Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) after serving as director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for two years (BOEM) . At the BOEM, Ms Hopper was responsible for leasing and permitting oil, gas and offshore wind projects.