HOBBS — One day after the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine, one of the only places in the world where nuclear energy was being discussed as a part of the future of the world's energy portfolio was Hobbs.
A two-day nuclear energy conference kicked off Wednesday at the Lea County Event Center where nuclear industry representatives from around the world and media from as far away as Japan sat down to separate fact from fiction and discuss making nuclear energy a viable and essential piece of the world's energy portfolio.
The keynote speaker for the first day of the event was former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who has been called by many in the industry the godfather of the nuclear renaissance in the United States.
"We are very proud to be part of what we think is unique," Domenici said.
"We don't run and hide when we hear the words nuclear or radioactive. We sit down to learn about the facts and myths and make sure they are completely understood."
Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., opened the talks Wednesday, also discussing the problems with nuclear energy being a part of the nation's future.
"Nuclear does not have technological problems in this country. Nuclear has political problems in this country," Pearce said. "The United States developed the nuclear power field and then regulated it out of existence. We have built no new nuclear power plants in 30 years."
New Mexico Economic Development Secretary
Jon Barela was more optimistic:
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