The wind industry's biggest lobbying group has recruited former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as it pushes for passage of clean energy legislation by July's end.

"As we look to the schedule, this may be the last window we have in this Congress to seriously consider the opportunity" to act on renewable energy, Daschle said during a press conference today with American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode and wind company executives. "There's an urgency of now that comes with that scheduling."

President Obama is preparing to meet next week with a group of senators to discuss how to move climate or energy legislation. AWEA is part of a larger clean-energy coalition that also includes the trade groups for solar and geothermal energy. The coalition does not favor an energy-only bill over a climate bill or vice versa, Daschle said.

Wind's top legislative priorities are a longer-term tax incentive program, a renewable energy standard or mandate that utilities generate a portion of power from green sources, policies for transmission system upgrades, and new energy efficiency codes and standards, Daschle said.

Daschle rejected that a renewable energy standard and a carbon cap are redundant, as some have argued.

"We need a lot of tools in our toolbox to build our house," he said.

Daschle, the former Democratic senator from South Dakota, will act as a consultant and will not lobby for AWEA. "He is providing strategic advice to AWEA and augmenting the voice with which the industry speaks to policymakers including the media," said Sarah Howell, an AWEA spokeswoman.

Bode said AWEA "needed the advice of someone who cares about this as much as we do."

"We have no choice," Bode added. "We have to get his done."