San Antonio Clean Technology Nuclear Forum

Yesterday at Pearl Stable The San Antonio Clean Technology Forum (SACTF) hosted a discussion about the future of energy in the city, focusing specifically on the nuclear power investment decision. The event was distinctly non-partisan, which was clearly the aim of the SACTF, a non-profit focused on economic development through efficient and alternative energy. They were able to bring together a variety of speakers with varying opinions to educate the capacity crowd on CPS' potential investment in a new nuclear facility.

The speakers were Dr. Patrick Moore, Craig Severance, Dr. Arjun Makhijani and CPS Interim General Manager Steve Bartley. Bob Rivard, Editor of the San Antonio Express News, moderated the event with a gravitas that kept the proceedings focused. I cannot understate the value of his fantastic work. Mayor Julian Castro was present as well, demonstrating the underlying importance of the issue. While the speakers disagreed on even the most fundamental of issues, namely energy demand, projected cost and method of analysis, the insight they provided was invaluable to inform the opinions from attendees. Unlike a good deal of national political discourse from both sides of the aisle, the Nuclear Forum was deep, substantive and avoided petty squabbling. I imagine that everyone in attendance learned something valuable about both nuclear power and alternative energy, not to mention the circumstances that color CPS' investment decision.

If you'd like to watch the event please head over to NowCastSA, who will be posting their video shortly.

Picture by Nan Palmero via Twitter (@nanpalmero)