As the California legislature weighs a billion-dollar bailout to keep the state’s last operating nuclear power plant running through the next decade, opponents of the proposal are sounding the alarm about the safety and transparency of such action.
Representatives from anti-nuclear groups such as Beyond Nuclear, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace and the Coalition for Nuclear Safety raised concerns during a press conference Tuesday about the proposed legislation that, if made law, would lay the groundwork to extend the lifespan of Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
“We found out about [the bill] Wednesday, and it was only printed on Sunday night,” said Steve Zeltzer, an activist from No Nukes Action Committee. “The 33 million people in California really don’t even know what’s in this bill, and there’s been no real publicity about the bill.”
Media in California reported Aug. 12 about draft legislation, proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), to bail out Diablo Canyon.
Diablo Canyon operator Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), plans to shut the plant’s two reactors down in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The proposed measure, which as of Wednesday evening had yet to pass in Sacramento, would allow the state to lend up to $1.4 billion to the utility to keep Diablo Canyon online.
The anti-nukers Tuesday railed against Diablo Canyon’s “embrittled” reactor vessel, and said that extending the plant’s life could pose a safety hazard. “If the vessel cools down too fast. It’ll shatter like glass. If it heats up too fast. It’ll shatter like glass,” said Arnie Gundersen, a former nuclear engineer speaking on behalf of Fairewinds Energy Education.
If California’s proposed bill becomes law, PG&E will have 180 days, or around six months, to apply with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew Diablo Canyon’s operating license. As part of the license renewal process, NRC must conduct a safety review that includes a survey of aging reactor components.
Meanwhile, some members of California’s state legislature last week expressed reticence to support a lifeline for Diablo Canyon.
“It raises all the more, my deep concern about how we are not only rushing this through, but that … the proposal calls for a sequel exemption for the bypassing of state agency oversight” in the license renewal process, state assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D) said during a hearing Aug. 25. “It sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
The state legislature has about one day to get the proposed legislation onto Newsom desk. Aug. 31 is the last day of the legislative session, and lawmakers won’t meet again in Sacramento until January.
