Welcome
Local Activists for a Nuclear-Free Future
Legal Intervenors in Diablo Safety Issues since 1973
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace is a non-profit organization concerned with the dangers posed by Diablo Canyon and other nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons, and radioactive waste. Additionally, the organization works to promote peace, environmental and social justice, and renewable energy.
( See "About Us" for a list of strategies we use.)
Fall 2018 Newsletter
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace is pleased to present Kathleen Sullivan at two events in San Luis Obispo on November 10, 2018.
Ms. Sullivan has had decades of experiences with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 in recognition of its role in achieving the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
She has brought the testimony of atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, to more than 45,000 high school students throughout the United States through her project, Hibakusha Stories. She has worked as an education consultant to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, and serves as a Nagasaki Peace Correspondent and a Hiroshima Peace Ambassador. Ms. Sullivan lives and works in New York City.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Film: The Ultimate Wish, Ending the Nuclear Age
Palm Theater
817 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
10:30 to 12:00 noon
Tickets at the door, $8.00.
No cost to students under the age of 18.
The 40 minute film connects nuclear weapons to nuclear power, using testimony from survivors of Nagasaki and Fukushima. The film will be introduced by Ms. Sullivan, and discussion will follow.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Presentation by Ms. Sullivan: Confronting Nuclear Amnesia: Waking Up to Love our World
Doors open at 6:30. Presentation at 7pm
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
2201 Lawton Avenue, San Luis Obispo
No admission fee. Voluntary contributions to help cover Ms. Sullivan’s travel expenses will be gratefully accepted.
The Diablo Canyon
Decommissioning Engagement Panel
was created to promote dialogue between members of the local community and PG&E on topics regarding the decommissioning of the nuclear plant. Mothers for Peace member, Linda Seeley, is on this panel of 12 people.
The meetings are open to the public, public comments and questions are encouraged, and videos of the meetings are also available.
The meetings are held at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center from 7-9:30 in the evenings.
Upcoming meetings:
August 29 and September 26, 2018: Future use of Diablo Canyon lands and facilities
October 24: Emergency Planning
November TBD: Used Fuel Storage
December TBD: Economic Impacts
More detailed information can be found at:
Mothers for Peace continues to fund Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's quarterly sampling of the waters off Pismo Pier to test for radiation from the Fukushima catastrophe of 3/11.
March 6, 2018 report: "As we near the 7 year anniversary of the Fukushim Dai-ichi Nuclear Power plant accident we continue to see increasing cesium concentrations arriving on the west coast of North America. We wanted to let you know that we have an update on our website under ourradioactiveocean.org/results that shows a map of results as well as some trends at some of your sampling sites. You will find this below the usual push-pin map of results. Our most recent sample from Bodega Head on October 30, 2017 shows 6.9 Bq/m3 of cesium-137 and at San Luis Obispo they found 6.8 Bq/m3 in a sample taken on February 2, 2018. Please see the text and maps for more details about recent results."
Join Mothers for Peace in its efforts to monitor the spread of radiation from Fukushima and its impact on the ocean. Consider making a tax deductible donation at: https://www.razoo.com/story/Woods-Hole-Oceanographic-Radiation-Testing
When Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant ceases operation within the next few years, we will still be faced with the challenges of storage and transportation of the radioactive waste.
Learn about the options and challenges through a
SERIES of EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
presented by San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
Topic: On-Site Storage
Molly Johnson and Donna Gilmore
and slideshow:
Topic: Yucca Mountain – is it viable?
Ian Zabarte, Judy Treichal, Steve Frishman
Topics: Transportation of Radioactive Wastes and Consolidated "Interim" Storage
Kevin Kamps and Diane D'Arrigo
CPUC decision January 11, 2018
Mothers for Peace welcomes the unanimous decision on the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant.
MFP attorney Sabrina Venskus summarized the organization’s reaction:
"The Commission made a well-reasoned and fair decision in this case. We are pleased that the Commission acknowledged that earlier closure of Diablo may be warranted, and has built into its Final Decision the possibility of challenging the continued operation of Diablo well before the anticipated 2024/2025 shutdown."
The Decision keeps open the door for an earlier closure date in response to evidence submitted by Mothers for Peace and an allied organization, Women’s Energy Matters. Expert witnesses showed that replacement of Diablo’s electricity output by renewable sources might well be possible as soon as 2020. The Decision authorizes the Commission to reconsider PG&E's requested 2024/2025 retirement dates should "facts change in a manner that indicates Diablo Canyon should be retired earlier." The Decision states that, "Because there is a possibility that Diablo Canyon may cease operations earlier than 2024 and 2025, PG&E should prepare for that contingency."
Press Release:
Background
On Friday, January 27, Mothers for Peace through Ojai-based attorney Sabrina Venskus, submitted expert testimony to the California Public Utilities Commission showing that Diablo Canyon should be closed in 2019, not 2024. news release The hearings took place in April.
One of Mothers for Peace's expert witness, nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen, chief engineer for Fairewinds Associates, Inc, provided testimony demonstrating unsafe and unreliable conditions at the plant. Arnie Gundersen testimony
Another expert witness is David D. Jackson who works with the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences at UCLA. In his testimony, Dr. Jackson explains the many types of seismic damage to the plant in case of an earthquake. Among his assertions is that the substantial risk of earthquakes at Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has been underestimated, and that the seismic studies relied upon evaluate only a part of the risk which affects any decision of how long to continue operation of the two Diablo Canyon reactors. David D. Jackson testimony
Mothers for Peace are cosponsoring the testimony of Women's Energy Matters. Robert Freehling is an expert in renewable energy and shows that needed replacement energy can be supplied by renewable resources long before PG&E's proposed closure date of 2025. Robert Freehling testimony
Mothers for Peace is cosponsoring Part V of the testimony of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility. This section opposes PG&E's request that the CPUC allow the corporation to charge the rate-payers $52.7 million to reimburse PG&E for the funds it spent on license renewal between 2009 - 2016, before it offered to shut down the two Diablo reactors. A4NR testimony
Mothers for Peace Press Release :
Join us in our efforts to monitor the spread of radiation from Fukushima and its impact on the ocean. Consider making a tax deductible donation at: https://www.razoo.com/story/Woods-Hole-Oceanographic-Radiation-Testing
ourradioactiveocean.org/results from March 2018