Scrutiny of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, which is approximately 12 miles from Cal Poly’s campus, is high following the nuclear disaster in Japan.
Diablo Canyon, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), is currently involved in a hotly-contested license renewal process, which is now facing increased resistance by locals who fear the possibility of a similar event.
Adam Hill, chairman of San Luis Obispo County’s Board of Supervisors, actively opposed the license renewal, which occurs at the conclusion of the initial 40-year authorization and permits another 20 years of operation. Hill sent a letter one year ago to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) asking for a delay in the relicensing due to mounting concerns over the safety of the plant.
“I have not changed my mind about the appropriateness of the request (to delay the relicensing), and the necessity of it being granted by the NRC,” Hill said. “The tragic events in Japan have added a new and increased level of seriousness to the issue, the supervisor said.”
Nuclear power has often been greeted with heavy opposition, but Diablo Canyon has been especially controversial due to its proximity to both the Hosgri Fault and the recently discovered Shoreline Fault.
Images from Japan have caused some people to reevaluate living by a nuclear plant with close proximity to earthquake faults. Consequently, many local politicians are now calling for the suspension of the license renewal process.
Congresswoman Lois Capps, who represents coastal San Luis Obispo County, also addressed the NRC in a March 24 letter. Capps’ letter requested the NRC suspend the license renewal procedure “until further studies demonstrate the plant’s design and operations can withstand an earthquake and other potential threats.”
State Senator Sam Blakeslee “asked PG&E to withdraw their relicensing application until seismic studies recommended by the (California Energy Commission) are complete,” according to his website.
Not all politicians, however, have been taking issue with license renewal.
State Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian also wants the relicensing to move forward in accordance with the utility company’s plans.
PG&E “can adequately complete its pending seismic fault study while concurrently going through the license renewal process,” Achadjian said.
Despite the bodes of confidence from Achadjian, concerns linger over the numerous times the NRC cited Diablo Canyon for safety violations.
A July 2010 NRC report cited the power plant “for failure to use conservative assumptions in decision making, … for failure to communicate human error prevention techniques as a standard work practice … (and) for failure to conduct adequate self and independent assessments.”
When asked about the violations, PG&E spokesman Kory Raftery said, lawmakers, the “community and PG&E all share a common goal of safe nuclear operations.
“PG&E is committed to seismic studies of the region,” Raftery said. “We began low energy 3-D seismic studies late last year and are preparing to file for the permits needed to do high energy 3-D seismic studies.”
Nonetheless, unease among locals is growing. Susan Devine, Supervisor Hill’s legislative assistant, said people spoke about nuclear issues for close to two hours during the public comment session at the March 29 Board of Supervisors meeting.
“Most people were very concerned about what had happened in Japan, and they were coming to voice their concerns about a number of safety (issues) at Diablo,” Devine said. “Others just wanted to shut the plant down.”
Despite President Obama advocating the expansion of U.S. nuclear energy programs as a clean alternative to oil dependency, locals, such as Avila Beach resident Matt Wedin, remain skeptical about the safety of Diablo Canyon.
“I used to be pro-nuclear,” Wedin said. “I worked on a nuclear powered submarine for five years in the Navy. But seeing what happened in Japan has changed my mind about the safety of nuclear power. Living in Avila makes me especially concerned about the possibility of a nuclear meltdown at Diablo.”
Editor’s note: Curious to hear what the community of San Luis Obispo thinks about the recent Diablo Canyon Power Plant controversies? Listen to opinions of Cal Poly students and community members at Farmers’ Market and Avila Beach:
Diablo Canyon Opinions by mustangdaily
Catherine Borgeson
Grab your tin hats people!
Come on, nuclear is a very safe technology especially with the new safety precautions that have been implemented in the last 50 years. Three mile island was actually the result of a safety mechanism that dislodged stopping the flow of coolant. It was reported that there were ZERO adverse effects to the public or the workers after the incident. Do a little research on nuclear and you wont be so doomsday. Chernobyl will never happen again unless we decide to start building ancient nuclear reactors.
This article is a logical fallacy in itself. The fault lines that triggered the earth quake in Japan and no where near the fault near Diablo. This is a classic appeal to fear, the people arguing that Diablo should be shut down argued the same thing before the series of events in Japan even happened.