NOW IS OUR TIME TO STOP DIABLO CANYON!
Decision-makers are moving quickly to extend operation, and so must we. Join our efforts to protect Central Coast Communities for future generations.
URGENT CHALLENGE
Diablo Canyon nuclear plant was scheduled to retire in 2024 and 2025. However, Senate Bill 846 – passed in 2022 – has enabled extended operation. State and federal subsidies have been granted to support this effort. Pacific Gas & Electric Company has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license extension, although SB 846 asks for only 5 years.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Donations are needed to pay for our attorneys, consultants, and expert witnesses. You can make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation online or mail checks to: San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, PO Box 3608, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
Tax ID # 95-3080124
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WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Mothers for Peace, in collaboration with its partner organizations, is actively opposing extended operation of Diablo Canyon at every opportunity. Our legal team and experts represent us at the:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- California Public Utilities Commission
- California Coastal Commission
- Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee
- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Click for Legal Filings
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
- Friends of the Earth
- Environmental Working Group
- Samuel Lawrence Foundation
- Committee to Bridge the Gap
- Environmental Defense Center
THE ISSUES
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) exempted Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) from its Timely Renewal Rule, disregarding its own rules by approving continued operation of the Diablo Canyon reactors past their expiration dates without the required environmental reviews or opportunity for public hearings.
Unit 1’s reactor vessel was built with faulty material so is vulnerable to embrittlement. An embrittled reactor vessel can shatter like glass and cause a catastrophic meltdown. Despite this, PG&E has not tested for embrittlement for over 20 years – and the NRC has approved the exemptions.
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved extended operation without all the information required by SB 846 – and despite evidence that Diablo’s energy is not needed to avoid summer blackouts. There is new seismic evidence to show that the earthquake faults that run directly under the plant are vertical thrust faults, meaning they could cause much more ground motion than formerly estimated.
Diablo’s Once-Through Cooling System is out of compliance with the Clean Water Act. The facility circulates 2.5 billion gallons of seawater each day, releasing it back into the ocean 20º warmer and killing more than one billion fish in early life stages.
Extended operation of Diablo Canyon means the generation and onsite storage of even more high-level radioactive waste in an active seismic area.
Our Legal Team and Experts
Diane Curran is one of the country’s leading environmental and nuclear safety advocates, Diane Curran has stopped unsafe nuclear projects and won significant safety and environmental protection measures before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and federal courts, on behalf of state and local governments, citizen groups, and individuals. Diane’s areas of legal expertise include the Atomic Energy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.
Sabrina Venskus is the founding partner of Venskus & Associates. She is the leading public interest and environmental attorney in the Southern California area. Ms. Venskus’ litigation practice includes environmental and natural resources, land use and zoning, housing rights, historic and archeological preservation, energy regulation, and open government law such as the Federal Freedom of Information Act and California Public Records Act.
Environmental Defense Center, a public interest law firm, works to protect and enhance the local environment through education, advocacy, and legal action in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Issue areas include climate and energy, protecting open space and wildlife, clean water, and the Santa Barbara Channel. Linda Krop, Chief Counsel, specializes in fighting offshore oil and gas development, protecting natural resources, and preserving open space lands.
Peter Bradford is a former utility regulator and consultant on energy policy. For 19 years, he served on the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) and the Maine Public Utilities Commission. He participated in more than 10,000 utility proceedings, including decisions involving the prudence of nuclear power operations and construction. Between 1971 and 1983, including the time of the Three Mile Island accident, Mr. Bradford served as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Since leaving utility regulation, Mr. Bradford has taught, written, and consulted on regulatory issues.
Rao Konidena is an independent energy consultant, focusing on wholesale market practices and policy. From 2003 to 2018, he was employed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, where he used a range of software tools for resource forecasting and planning.
Mark Cooper was President of Citizen Research and former Research Director of the Consumer Federation of America. He has studied and published widely concerning the economics of energy technologies, including nuclear and renewables. He has testified before Congress, federal regulatory agencies, and state regulatory agencies across the U.S. Without exception, the nuclear projects whose excess costs he identified in the last two decades have been canceled.
Dr. Peter Bird has been a Professor of Geophysics and Geology at UCLA for over 46 years. His broad expertise in the fields of geology and geophysics includes a focus on plate motion and plate deformation. He has authored or contributed to a number of academic papers on computer modeling methods and applications, including studies of the ongoing (neotectonic) deformation in California. In 2012, Dr. Bird participated in a Senior Seismic Hazards Analysis Committee (SSHAC) workshop sponsored by PG&E and Lettis Consultants International consultants regarding seismic hazard at the Diablo Canyon power plant site.
Dr. Digby Macdonald is one of the world’s leading corrosion scientists. Since completing his Ph.D in 1969, he has held multiple positions relating to nuclear engineering and materials science, including Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Director for the Center for Electrochemical Science and Technology at Penn State University (2003 to 2012) and his current position at UC Berkeley. He has published over 1,000 scientific papers and 4 books, and he holds 11 patents.
Honorary Committee
- Jackson Browne
- Rinaldo Brutoco
- Scott Denman
- Christopher Hormel
- Joyce Howerton
- Joanna Macy
- Graham Nash
- Linda Parks
- Bonnie Raitt
- Ted Rhodes
- Kathleen Sullivan
Join our efforts to STOP DIABLO!