Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Litigation)

CLIPI enters the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant administrative proceedings being conducted by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. CLIPI leads the battle against granting an operating license to the newly constructed plant, basing its arguments on a newly discovered major seismic fault located only two miles away that could produce an earthquake of nearly twice the force the plant had been designed to withstand. At the conclusion of the ensuing ten-year campaign, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ultimately upholds the NRC’s granting of the Diablo Canyon license by a narrow 5-4 majority. The lengthy proceedings, which constitute one of the most serious challenges to the nuclear power industry during the 1970s and ‘80s, contribute to industry reluctance to build any more nuclear power plants in the United States.