Public Interest Briefs

Opening of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Opposed

Will the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) break with its own tradition and grant a Center petition denying a utility company an operating license for a nuclear power plant?

Construction of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Project in San Luis Obispo was recently completed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company. PG&E has requested an operating license for Diablo Canyon from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Center will oppose the application in an appearance before the NRC. Seismological studies have revealed that the plant is located two miles from the Hosgri-San Simeon coastal fault, one of California's major earthquake faults. The fault is reportedly capable of producing an earthquake of nearly twice the force the Diablo Canyon plant is designed to withstand.

Other studies show that if an earthquake occurs in the area of the plant, the jolt could break the plant’s containment walls or destroy vital components of its safety system. The resulting leaks of nuclear fuel could contaminate farmland and ocean water around the plant’s coastal site and could either prove fatal to residents of nearby San Luis Obispo or greatly increase their chances of cancer.

In the face of the potentially disastrous consequences that could result from an earthquake-induced accident, the NRC has undertaken staff reviews and hearings on Pacific Gas and Electric’s application. In late fall, the Center will appear as counsel for groups of citizens from San Luis Obispo–including the Scenic Shoreline PReservation Conference, the Ecology Action Club, and individual plaintiffs–who are trying to prevent the opening of the plant.

Because nuclear plant license hearings are so technically complex, the Center is presently engaged in extensive discovery and has retained seismologists, geologists, and structural engineers who will testify on the safety question.

Hearings are set for late fall. It is likely that national attention will be focused on the debate of the issues.

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