For many people living downwind from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, its two nuclear reactors represent an unavoidable risk to their life and safety. To evaluate those risks and the potential for danger, the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee met June 28-29. The three-member committee heard from managers and engineers at the nuclear plant, as well as members of the public, some of whom described the stress of living near the plant. One woman from nearby Los Osos who hoped to have the plant closed told the committee that she and her neighbors all lived in the “You Can Kiss Your Ass Goodbye Zone.”
In 2018 the utility company announced it was planning to decommission the nuclear facility — its reactor Unit 1 by 2024 and Unit 2 by 2025, when its licenses expired. Though PG&E is currently working to shut down the units, it is also petitioning to renew its license with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow it to run for another 20 years. Governor Gavin Newsom, in a dramatic effort to reduce greenhouse gases, convinced the Democrat-controlled Legislature to pass a bill loaning PG&E with $1.4 billion to extend operations until “the permanent cessation of Units 1 and 2 in 2030.” The length of time before shutdown is another uncertainty that concerns Diablo’s opponents.
Among the issues reviewed by the Safety Committee was the extent of the maintenance that was deferred after PG&E decided to shut down Diablo. PG&E representatives told the committee that all maintenance was back on track.