JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Joint Base San Antonio and 502nd Air Base Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Russell D. Driggers, City of San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and CPS Energy President Rudy Garza signed a formal memorandum of understanding at City Tower on Feb. 26 to officially confirm their commitment to pursue and explore the potential for resilient carbon-free energy solutions.
“The missions we conduct across Joint Base San Antonio are all critical to national security and I’m proud to be here to talk about this MOU between JBSA, the city and CPS Energy to pursue resilient forms of energy,” Driggers said. “It’s absolutely a win-win. This has been a community partnership right out of the starting block.”
The Department of the Air Force recognizes the importance of the military partnerships with the local community.
“The impact and significance of these partnerships cannot be overstated,” said Robert Moriarty, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations. “As we prepare for this new era of Great Power Competition, we must also prepare our installations to support our critical missions.
“The Department is committed to collaborating with our community partners and exploring innovative solutions — such as carbon-free technology — to promote our installations’ resiliency and our nation’s security,” Moriarty added.
Garza noted that this opportunity provides a future-focused energy resource in CPS Energy’s strategic plan.
“We want to ensure that we protect our missions and that San Antonio continues to be a valuable asset for our military,” he said. “This is just a small part that CPS Energy can participate in to ensure that our missions are successful."
The Air Force acknowledges the military’s need to continue to look for more affordable ways to sustain energy sources without impacting the local economy.
“In an era of Great Power Competition, ensuring our installations have continuous access to the energy needed to power our missions is more important than ever,” explained Nancy Balkus, Department of the Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Infrastructure. “Partnerships like this accelerate our ability to establish and/or robust resilience at our installations and achieve the targets of our Climate Action Plan through innovative, renewable energy and carbon-pollution-free technologies.”
Nirenberg stated that this MOU is intended to serve as a planning document and will support the city’s pledge to be carbon net zero by 2050.
“We know plans are only as good as they are executed; and so, I’m very excited for the actions that will follow this MOU,” Nirenberg said. “It’s not only important for our city but it’s important for our nation and for the world. To our partners here at JBSA: We stand ready to work with you on the development of policies and technologies that we always have to support critical missions for our nation’s security and to achieve a more resilient future for all of our communities.”
Nirenberg closed the signing ceremony with an expression of his appreciation of the military.
“I want to thank JBSA,” Nirenberg said. “This document is an excellent example of the power of ‘Military City, USA.’” The partnership with the city, county and our military is critical for our national security and pays dividends to every resident. It demonstrates a collaborative relationship that exists within our city and is therefore being leveraged to evaluate some long-term resilient carbon-free energy which is important for our community.”