CASEnergy Co-Chair Dr. Patrick Moore Keynotes Nuclear Forum in Cleveland, Engages Regional Media on Merits of Increased Nuclear
CASEnergy Co-Chair Dr. Patrick Moore travelled to Cleveland, Ohio on September 20-21 to deliever a keynote address at Nuclear Forum Cleveland: The Future of Nuclear Technology in the U.S., and to meet with a variety of individuals, organizations and media outlets to promote the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear energy expansion. In his speech, Dr. Moore covered the growing acceptance of nuclear power among the American public; the career opportunities available within the industry; and CASEnergy’s Policy Roadmap for a Clean Energy Future. Dr. Moore spoke for about 30 minutes, took 20 minutes of questions, and was well-received by the audience.
While in Cleveland, Dr. Moore also met with Kimberly Gibson from EWI (Edison Welding Institute), one of the organizers behind Nuclear Forum Cleveland, as well as with current CASEnergy member and forum participant, Karen Alderman Harbert from the U.S. Institute for 21st Energy. Ms. Harbert and Dr. Moore talked about the need to increase nuclear energy in the U.S. and agreed on the need for sensible energy policy going forward. The Institute also took the opportunity to interview Dr. Moore for a video they will use at an event on energy for new Members of Congress. His meeting with Kimberly Gibson to discuss Coalition membership resulted in an invitation to return and visit EWI’s training facility in Columbus.
Before leaving Ohio, Dr. Moore met with the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University. While the Energy Institute is mainly focused on wind power, there was a lively discussion encouraging Case Western students to consider a portfolio of energy sources and solutions, including nuclear power. This led to an invitation for Dr. Moore to come back to Cleveland to participate in a seminar or panel with students. The Energy Institute also recommended that CASEnergy reach out to the Sustainability Institute and a professor at Akron University to further relations in the region.
On the media front, Dr. Moore was interviewed by top business, public radio broadcast and trade outlets covering the Nuclear Forum, including Crain’s Cleveland Business, NPR Cleveland (WCPN-AM) and Fuel Cycle Week, a trade publication which covers the nuclear fuel cycle from a U.S. business perspective. Also, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s energy reporter, John Funk, referenced Dr. Moore’s keynote address which called for nuclear expansion, in his recap of the Nuclear Forum which posted on-line Tuesday evening, September 21.
NPR Cleveland covered Dr. Moore’s keynote address in a segment on WCPN-AM and published a corresponding article on their website on the evening of Tuesday, September 21. The piece outlined Dr. Moore’s conversion story as well as his affiliation with CASEnergy: “Dr. Patrick Moore is co-founder of the environmental group Greenpeace, but has become what he termed ‘enlightened’…. He now heads the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, and travels North America to talk up the positives of nuclear power.” Also mentioned in the story was Dr. Moore’s discussion of nuclear expansion’s economic dividends, arguing that new nuclear construction projects are “economic engines for the communities where they’re built.”
