The California Public Utilities Commission will be holding two meetings to discuss decommissioning costs, but you may speak on any subject! The Commissioners need to hear from us! SHUT DOWN DIABLO!
A remote public forum will be held on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 6pm. Find details on how to join and make public comments here.
The in-person meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 6pm. Details for that meeting can be found here.
San Luis Obispo County Chambers
1055 Monterey Street, Room D170, San Luis Obispo
Read Mothers for Peace comments below.
Absurdly, we’re all following two distinct tracks. One leads to the decommissioning of Diablo Canyon and the other to extended operations.
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, advocates for three decommissioning items:
1) In assessing radiological and chemical contamination at Diablo Canyon, Chapter 5 in the 2018 report on radiological contamination found multiple pathways by which radiological contamination can make its way to Diablo Creek. Thus, we support the testing of the Creek and urge the Commission to make the assessment of radiological and chemical contamination at the plant a high priority in planning for decommissioning.
2) It is essential that the Commission remain aware of national trends in decommissioning. We promote hiring a consultant for this purpose.
3) Nuclear plants in New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont have adopted radiological remediation standards that are more stringent than the 25 millirem default standard set by the NRC. These states require a cleanup standard of 10 millirem. PG&E plans to meet the minimum 25 millirem standard. We advocate for PG&E to meet the more stringent standard of 10 millirem.
On the proposal for extended operations of Diablo Canyon and the impacts of SB 846:
- PG&E’s abdication of the Joint Settlement closure agreement of 2018 – which the CPUC approved – is abhorrent, breaking the good-faith agreement among all parties;
- The billions of dollars in tax and ratepayer money being spent on revitalizing this aging plant – federal, state, and local monies – depresses investment in the growth of renewable energy resources;
- There is a lack of accurate, reliable and unbiased analysis of:
- the projected need for Diablo’s energy beyond 2025;
- the projected renewable energy and battery storage resources that will come on line to replace Diablo by 2025;
- the cost comparison to California tax and ratepayers for energy from renewable sources vs. energy coming from Diablo Canyon;
- Very real safety issues are being dismissed: seismic and accident risk, aging and degrading systems and components, a diminished workforce, Unit 1’s embrittled reactor vessel, and numerous delayed maintenance items;
- Environmental review is being waived or expedited;
- The use of the now unlawful once-through cooling system is being allowed to continue, causing great harm to the local marine environment and sea life;
- Even more toxic high level radioactive waste will be generated and stored for an indeterminate amount of time in the vicinity of multiple significant earthquake faults;
- There is a lack of space on the current spent fuel pads to accommodate more dry casks, thereby keeping the spent fuel pools operating at great expense and great risk.
SB 846 deems that the extended operation of Diablo Canyon must be cost effective.
SB 846 authorizes the CPUC to reinstate the 2024/2025 closure dates if it finds that new renewable energy and zero-carbon resources are adequate to substitute for Diablo Canyon.
We urge the Commission to be thorough and vigilant in its examination of cost and the need for Diablo Canyon’s energy.