Diablo Canyon

— How radioactive is our ocean? Testing at San Luis Obispo County, California

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From Mothers for Peace

Beginning on February 9, 2014, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace (SLOMFP) has been taking 5-gallon samples of seawater at the Pismo Beach Pier and sending that water to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) to be tested for cesium-134 and cesium-137. The focus on cesium is because it was one of the most abundant radioactive contaminants released, and some forms can remain in the environment for decades. Cesium-134 has a relatively short half-life of about two years, meaning it decays more quickly and is a strong indicator of recent contamination. In contrast, cesium-137 has a much longer half-life of about thirty years, allowing it to persist in the environment for decades and accumulate over time. 

It is important to note that, prior to massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011, there were already measurable amounts of radioactive fallout in the ocean from the testing of nuclear weapons that peaked in the 1960s. For cesium-137, levels in Pacific Ocean surface waters were generally below 2.0 Becquerels per cubic meter (Bq/m3). 

As we continued to take samples about every six months, we saw the levels of cesium-137 rise. Between July 2017 and February 2018, the cesium-137 level rose from 2.1 Bq/m3 to 6.8 Bq/m3. Cesium-134 was also detected for the first time. This increase, as well as our finding of cesium-134 in these elevated samples, provided clear evidence that Fukushima contamination had reached our shores. 

We have taken eight samples and sent them to WHOI for testing since 2018. The cesium-137 levels did drop down but not to the same levels they were before the spike. They went from being in the 2s to being in the 4s then began to drop a little more between 2021 and 2023. There was then a gap in sampling between November 2023 and March 2026. The results from March 2026 show a significant increase, with cesium-137 levels rising by 5.4 Bq/m³ compared to the previous sample. This sharp increase raises serious concerns and warrants further investigation. 

Notably, Japan began discharging treated but still radioactive wastewater from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean on August 24, 2023. The timing of this discharge and the subsequent increase detected in our March 2026 sampling underscores the urgent need for expanded, transparent, and independent monitoring of ocean water along the California coast.

https://mothersforpeace.org/april-2026-how-radioactive-is-our-ocean/

— Mothers for Peace warns legislators that an extension of Diablo Canyon would cost Californians more than $2 Billion

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From Mothers for Peace

Mothers for Peace and its allies call on California Governor Newsom, Speaker Rivas and Pro Tem Limón and Legislators to halt backroom negotiations and hold full public hearings before any vote to extend the nuclear plant’s life to 2045.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA — A backroom deal is taking shape in Sacramento that could keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant running until 2045—and stick California taxpayers and ratepayers with billions of dollars in costs and risk. Mothers for Peace, along with more than fifty other environmental and consumer organizations, is demanding that any proposal to extend the plant’s operations beyond its agreed-upon 2030 closure date be subject to full public hearings, independent fiscal analysis, and open legislative debate.

The coalition has formally written to Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate Pro Tem Toni Limón, and members of the California Legislature, warning them not to repeat the closed-door process that generated Senate Bill 846 in 2022. That last-minute deal extended Diablo Canyon’s operational life to 2030 and has already proven financially damaging to Californians.

“We’ve seen this movie before—a last-minute deal and no public input that has Californians left holding the bill, Linda Seeley, Mothers for Peace spokesperson, said. “Extending Diablo Canyon for another 15 years will cost billions more in public funding, create long-term ratepayer obligations, and cause serious safety risks. Californians deserve transparency, not another deal negotiated in the dark,” she added.

The warning from SB 846

Mothers for Peace, which has fought to close Diablo Canyon for more than 50 years, points to SB 846 as a blueprint for what goes wrong when the Legislature operates behind closed doors. The bill was introduced, negotiated, and enacted in the final days of the 2022 legislative session, with no meaningful public review or policy committee deliberation.

The consequences are already severe. The state’s $1.4 billion loan to support Diablo Canyon operations is effectively spent—approximately $1.33 billion has been disbursed directly to PG&E, and there is growing evidence it will never be repaid. To add insult to injury, a University of California, Santa Barbara study released recently, found that PG&E, Diablo Canyon’s owner, inflated the capital upgrade and operational costs used to justify the deal. And SB 846’s failure to reconstitute the plant’s Unitary Tax has left the San Luis Coastal Unified School District with a $10 million budget deficit.

The loan is only the beginning. Layered on top are a $100 million annual management fee paid simply for keeping the plant running, performance payments, volumetric payments projected to yield PG&E an additional $1.4 billion, and a $300 million ratepayer-funded Liquidated Damages Account. Together, these mechanisms represent more than $2 billion in additional public exposure beyond the original loan, while shifting nearly all financial risk away from PG&E and onto ratepayers and taxpayers.

Even with potential federal Department of Energy support, analysts project taxpayers could still be responsible for at least $659 million in unrecovered costs—and this is just through 2030. No estimates are available for the costs beyond that date.

All of this while PG&E posted a record profit of $2.59 billion in 2025—its third consecutive year of record earnings—as California ratepayers already pay some of the highest electricity rates in the nation.

A deal taking shape behind closed doors

Despite the Legislature’s policy committee deadline looming, no bill has been publicly amended to include a Diablo Canyon extension. However, there is still time for a bill to become the vehicle for a deal to include the extension. Alternatively, the extension could emerge as a last-minute trailer bill in the June budget, bypassing policy committees entirely. Both scenarios, the groups argue, would be just as unacceptable as the SB 846 process.

State Sen. Ben Allen, chair of the committee on energy, utilities and communications, expressed concern about a backroom deal. He told KQED: “if there is a need to keep Diablo online, I want to have real frank conversations about what we’re doing to improve clean energy buildout so that we won’t be so reliant on this money pit that requires subsidies by ratepayers statewide, not just PG&E customers.”

Safety and fiscal risks demand open debate

A 15-year extension would also leave unresolved serious safety concerns, including reactor embrittlement, spent nuclear fuel management, and seismic risk as the plant sits on a web of earthquake fault lines.

“SB 846 didn’t just hand PG&E a financial windfall—it stripped away the oversight designed to protect the public. Expedited permitting and curtailed environmental review mean state agencies cannot fully evaluate what they’re approving,” Diane Curran, attorney for Mothers for Peace, said.  These unresolved safety issues—reactor embrittlement, seismic risk, spent fuel with nowhere to go—aren’t just safety concerns. Under this deal’s structure, every one of them is also a financial liability that lands on taxpayers and ratepayers, not PG&E,” Curran explained.

Mothers for Peace is calling on the Legislature to:

  • Hold full policy committee hearings in both chambers on any Diablo Canyon extension proposal.
  • Conduct budget committee review given the detrimental fiscal implications for taxpayers and ratepayers.
  • Commission independent analysis of all safety, environmental, and fiscal risks, including seismic risk, reactor embrittlement, and spent fuel management.
  • Ensure meaningful public participation and transparency before any vote is taken.
  • Reject any last-minute gut-and-amend legislation or end-of-session budget maneuvers that bypass proper deliberation.

“The question before the Legislature is simple: will California once again enter a deal negotiated in the dark that places the financial burden on taxpayers and ratepayers while shielding PG&E from risk? Californians deserve better,” Seeley said.

You can read the full letter to the Legislature here. Along with the letter, a cost fact sheet and report from Rao Konidena were attached.

— 2025 reports on health impacts of living near nuclear power plants

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From Mothers for Peace

Before We Extend Diablo Canyon, We Owe Our Children Clear Answers

Those of us who live in San Luis Obispo County take pride in our community. We value clean air, open space, strong schools and a safe place to raise children. That is part of what makes this region special. It is why so many of us chose to live here and why we work to protect what we have.

Which is why repeated public health warnings deserve careful attention — not dismissal.

Concerns about health impacts near Diablo Canyon are not new. A March 2, 2014 report titled “Report on Health Status of Residents in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties Living Near the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactors” by Joseph Mangano, MPH, MBA, examined cancer and other health indicators in communities closest to the plant. That report identified elevated rates of certain cancers and recommended continued monitoring and further study. More than a decade later, comprehensive long-term health monitoring still has not occurred.

Recent research strengthens those concerns.

In December 2025, Harvard University published a study, “Residential proximity to nuclear power plants and cancer incidence in Massachusetts, USA (2000–2018)”, which examined cancer incidence near nuclear power plants in Massachusetts. Researchers found elevated cancer risks among residents living closer to reactors, particularly older adults, and documented that risk declined with distance. The authors emphasized the importance of continued epidemiologic monitoring as reactors age and licenses are extended.

That study did not focus on California. But its findings reinforce concerns raised here at home.

A peer-reviewed study published November 12, 2025, “Worsening Infant Health in San Luis Obispo County and the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactors,” by Joseph Mangano, MPH, MBA, examined long-term local health trends. It found that outcomes once better here than the California average have steadily eroded.

Before Diablo Canyon began operating, our county’s infant mortality rate was 16 percent lower than the state average. Now, that advantage has disappeared. Premature births, once well below the state rate, rose above it. Birth defect rates in recent years were more than double the California average, ranking third highest among large counties. Childhood cancer rates, once significantly lower than statewide levels, have moved closer to them.

These are not one-year spikes. They are long-term trend changes. And they matter because they affect our youngest and most vulnerable residents.

Taken together, the 2014 and 2025 Mangano studies and the recent Harvard findings point in the same direction: communities living near operating nuclear reactors deserve rigorous, transparent and ongoing health evaluation. When warning signals appear across different studies, time periods and states, the responsible response is investigation.

San Luis Obispo County does not fit the profile of a community struggling with the usual drivers of poor birth outcomes. We have relatively low poverty and unemployment, high education and income levels and good access to medical care. Many known risk factors are lower here than statewide. Yet our early-life health advantage has faded.

No one is claiming these findings prove cause and effect. But public health protection does not require absolute proof before asking serious questions, especially when children’s health is involved.

Before any extension moves forward, San Luis Obispo County deserves an independent, site-specific public health assessment conducted transparently and reviewed publicly. That is not anti-nuclear. It is pro-accountability — and it is what our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all future generations deserve. 

If we are considering operating Diablo Canyon for another 20 years, we must first really know what the last 40 years have meant for the health of families who live here. How many premature births, birth defects, childhood and adult cancers are we willing to accept if Diablo Canyon continues running for another twenty years?

https://mothersforpeace.org/2025-reports-on-the-health-impacts-of-living-near-diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant/

— Campaign to stop Diablo Canyon

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From Mothers for Peace

NOW IS OUR TIME TO STOP DIABLO CANYON!

Decision-makers are moving quickly to extend operation, and so must we. Join our efforts to protect Central Coast Communities for future generations.

URGENT CHALLENGE

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant was scheduled to retire in 2024 and 2025. However, Senate Bill 846 – passed in 2022 – has enabled extended operation. State and federal subsidies have been granted to support this effort. Pacific Gas & Electric Company has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license extension, although SB 846 asks for only 5 years.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Donations are needed to pay for our attorneys, consultants, and expert witnesses. You can make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation online or mail checks to: San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, PO Box 3608, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403

Tax ID # 95-3080124

Attend meetings and support our efforts. Sign up for our Action Alerts on the Homepage!

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

Mothers for Peace, in collaboration with its partner organizations, is actively opposing extended operation of Diablo Canyon at every opportunity. Our legal team and experts represent us at the:

  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • California Public Utilities Commission
  • California Coastal Commission
  • Regional Water Quality Control Board
  • Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee
  • 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

  • Friends of the Earth
  • Environmental Working Group
  • Samuel Lawrence Foundation
  • Committee to Bridge the Gap
  • Environmental Defense Center

THE ISSUES

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) exempted Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) from its Timely Renewal Rule, disregarding its own rules by approving continued operation of the Diablo Canyon reactors past their expiration dates without the required environmental reviews or opportunity for public hearings.

Unit 1’s reactor vessel was built with faulty material so is vulnerable to embrittlement. An embrittled reactor vessel can shatter like glass and cause a catastrophic meltdown. Despite this, PG&E has not tested for embrittlement for over 20 years – and the NRC has approved the exemptions.

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved extended operation without all the information required by SB 846 – and despite evidence that Diablo’s energy is not needed to avoid summer blackouts. There is new seismic evidence to show that the earthquake faults that run directly under the plant are vertical thrust faults, meaning they could cause much more ground motion than formerly estimated.

Diablo’s Once-Through Cooling System is out of compliance with the Clean Water Act. The facility circulates 2.5 billion gallons of seawater each day, releasing it back into the ocean 20º warmer and killing more than one billion fish in early life stages.

Extended operation of Diablo Canyon means the generation and onsite storage of even more high-level radioactive waste in an active seismic area.

Join our efforts to STOP DIABLO!

More information, brochures, and links at https://mothersforpeace.org/campaign-to-stop-diablo/

— Mothers for Peace demands PG&E test Diablo Canyon Unit 1 for embrittlement

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Update from Mothers for Peace, May 25, 2025:
PG&E has now pulled the capsule, but it will take 12-18 months to test the capsule for embrittlement.

From Mothers for Peace
March 18, 2025

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Unit 1’s reactor vessel was built with faulty material, so it’s vulnerable to embrittlement. An embrittled reactor vessel can shatter like glass and cause a catastrophic meltdown. Despite this, PG&E has not tested for embrittlement for over 20 years.

PG&E has now committed to removing Capsule B from Unit 1 to test for embrittlement during the upcoming April outage. Previous attempts to remove this capsule have been unsuccessful.

On March 18, 2025, Mothers for Peace sent a letter to the CEO of PG&E, Patti Poppe, setting forth its expectation that Capsule B will finally be removed during this upcoming April outage and subsequently tested for embrittlement so we will learn if it’s safe to operate.

We are compelled to send this letter because of previous failures by PG&E to test the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for embrittlement. We agree with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals when they state:

We share Petitioners’ concerns about the public health and safety implications of repeatedly postponing Capsule B’s withdrawal. It has been about two decades since PG&E withdrew and tested a surveillance capsule from the Unit 1 reactor vessel—and even longer since a surveillance capsule withdrawn from Unit 1 generated credible data. Although Unit 1’s operating license has now officially expired, the reactor continues to operate under the NRC’s “timely 10 renewal” rule because PG&E has submitted a license renewal application. San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, 100 F.4th at 1056–58 (citing 10 C.F.R. § 2.109(b)). Capsule B remains a key source of data for the license renewal period. Under the current schedule, PG&E is slated to remove Capsule B in the spring of 2025 and use it to inform the company’s pending license renewal application for Unit 1. Any further delay in Capsule B’s withdrawal will mean that PG&E lacks a critical data source about the future integrity of the reactor vessel, without which a future license renewal may be subject to legal challenge.

San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace v. NRC, 2025 U.S. App. LEXIS 1104 at *10 (9th Cir.) January 17, 2025

Background: Read about the Mothers for Peace brief filed in March 2024.

https://mothersforpeace.org/march-18-2025-mothers-for-peace-demands-that-pge-comply-with-its-commitment-to-test-unit-1-for-embrittlement/

— May 15, 2025: Top seismologist urges immediate shutdown of Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors citing “unacceptable risk” of an earthquake-triggered meltdown   

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From Mothers for Peace

Award-Winning UCLA Earthquake Scientist Files Declaration to the NRC Requesting Shutdown of Diablo Canyon.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – MAY 15, 2025 – A leading earthquake expert has called for the immediate shutdown of California’s last operating nuclear power plant, warning that a proposed decision by the NRC dismissing seismic risks at Diablo Canyon is incomplete and illogical and fails to address significant evidence that seismic risks are too high to meet federal safety standards. 

In a formal declaration submitted today to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Petition Review Board (PRB),  Dr. Peter Bird, Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at UCLA, states that continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) presents “an unacceptable risk of a serious earthquake-caused accident,” and that the NRC is obligated to shut it down under its own safety guidelines.

Dr. Bird’s declaration criticized the NRC for refusing to open an enforcement proceeding sought a year ago by environmental organizations. Instead, the NRC parroted unsupported and illogical claims by PG&E that the reactors are safe to operate and ignored Dr. Bird’s strong evidence and analysis demonstrating that the risk of an earthquake-caused core damage accident at DCPP is high enough to warrant immediate shutdown under the NRC’s own guidance.  

 “I continue to hold the view that the risk of a serious earthquake-caused accident at DCPP is unacceptable, and that immediate shutdown is warranted under NRC’s existing guidelines,” wrote Dr. Bird, a globally recognized authority in earthquake modeling with nearly five decades of experience.

Submitted on behalf of petitioners San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace (SLOMFP), Friends of the Earth (FoE) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Dr. Bird’s declaration criticized the NRC for failing to conduct a competent and independent review of “grave concerns regarding the severe risk of an earthquake-induced accident during continued operation of Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors.” 

Dr. Peter Bird now serves as Professor of Geophysics and Geology, Emeritus at UCLA with 49 years of experience in seismic activity and earthquake modeling. Holding a doctorate in Geophysics from MIT, Dr. Bird is the founding architect of the Global Earthquake Activity Model (2015). 

The Bird declaration to the NRC warns that PG&E’s modeling for seismic activity “assumes that a majority of large earthquakes affecting Diablo Canyon are strike-slip and disregards the significant contribution of thrust faulting earthquake sources under the Diablo Canyon site.”

The nuclear reactors at Diablo Canyon, owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), were slated to close in 2024 and 2025 when its operating licenses were set to retire because the plants would eventually become “too expensive to operate” compared to available renewable energy resources. The “Joint Proposal” to shut Diablo Canyon, signed by environmental groups, unions, and PG&E was certified by the CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2018. It did not address the unacceptably high risk for a seismic-induced reactor meltdown. However, the reactors’ licenses were extended after California Governor Gavin Newsom brokered a deal with PG&E, offering a $1.4 billion taxpayer-funded subsidy to keep the DCPP operational. 

Hallie Templeton, an attorney for FoE, said: “Allowing Diablo Canyon to operate without a competent and independent review of the seismic risks addressed in the petition puts millions of California residents in danger and risks a major radioactive disaster, akin to Fukushima, along the California coast. PG&E can’t say they haven’t been warned.”  

Diane Curran, legal counsel for SLOMFP, said: “We are very disappointed with the NRC’s proposed decision to allow DCPP to keep operating without a full review of the significant seismic risk to the reactors. It would be irrational and irresponsible for the NRC to permit PG&E to operate DCPP, especially with an aging and deteriorating Unit 1 reactor vessel, without addressing the concerns brought forward by one of the world’s top seismic experts. Listen to the science!”

Bernadette Del Chiaro, Senior Vice President, California at EWG, said: “The potential environmental and human health consequences of a major radioactive disaster along the California coast, similar to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi incident, are simply unacceptable. It is imperative that all possible precautions are taken to ensure the structural integrity and operational safety of a nuclear facility located in an area with ‘unacceptable risk of earthquakes. The risks highlighted in the petition warrant an unbiased and expert evaluation to determine the true extent of the potential dangers to Californians. To keep Diablo open without this crucial review would place countless lives in jeopardy.”

https://mothersforpeace.org/may-15-2025-top-seismologist-urges-immediate-shutdown-of-diablo-canyon-nuclear-reactor-citing-unacceptable-risk-of-an-earthquake-triggered-meltdown/

— November 4, 2024: Watch Mothers for Peace Oral Argument in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

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From Mothers for Peace

San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, et al. v. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, et al. 

Our attorney, Diane Curran, will be arguing before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Phoenix, AZ regarding the NRC’s denial of a hearing request for the operating license held by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for Unit 1 of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. 

WATCH IT

Oral arguments begin at 9am MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME.

View the schedule.

https://mothersforpeace.org/november-4-2024-observe-mothers-for-peace-oral-argument-in-the-ninth-circuit-court-of-appeals/

For additional information –
https://mothersforpeace.org/decommissioning/
Decommissioning or Extended Operation?

— Gov. Gavin Newsom tricked California, voided November 2 shutdown at harmful, aging Diablo Canyon

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From Mothers for Peace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:

  • Linda Seeley: Mothers for Peace, lindaseeley@gmail.com
  • Diane Curran: Harmon, Curran, Spielberg, & Eisenberg, dcurran@harmoncurran.com

October 31, 2024

Halloween Fright: Thanks to a trick instead of a treat by Governor Newsom, an aging nuclear monster still haunts the Central Coast of California 

November 2 was set to mark the closure of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, but SB 846 extended the aging reactor’s life through 2030. New data from the Governor’s office on renewable battery storage shows there’s no need for Diablo.

San Luis Obispo, CA — November 2 was meant to deliver a long-expected treat to Californians: the closure of Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant on the expiration date of its 40-year license. But thanks to a surprise trick by Governor Gavin Newsom played on the California State Legislature in 2022, the reactor will continue operating indefinitely without critical seismic upgrades and safety tests. The reactor’s owner, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), has also failed to install cooling towers essential to meet Clean Water Act standards for protecting marine life.

Until September 2022, California residents could anticipate the timely closure of Diablo Canyon’s reactors. Under a hard-fought 2016 agreement between PG&E, labor unions, environmental groups, and others, Unit 1 was set to shut down on November 2, 2024, followed by Unit 2 in 2025. But in a last-minute move on September 1, 2022, pressured by the Governor, the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 846, extending Diablo Canyon’s operations to 2030. PG&E, meanwhile, went further, applying for a 20-year license extension—going four times beyond the five years specified in SB 846.

Despite the Governor’s warnings of power outages without Diablo Canyon, no such disruptions have occurred. Even during this past summer’s record-breaking heat waves, California’s energy grid met demand, demonstrating the success of renewable resources and battery storage. This stability shows that California can maintain a reliable grid without a hazardous nuclear plant.

In fact, since the Legislature’s 2022 vote, California has rapidly expanded its renewable capacity. By October 2024, data from the California Energy Commission and Public Utilities Commission showed an estimated capacity of 13,391 MW of battery storage—well above the 2,200 MW produced by Diablo Canyon’s reactors. Touting these gains, the Governor’s office stated on October 15 that this growth of California’s battery storage capacity “marks a 30% increase since April 2024, underscoring the state’s swift progress in building out clean energy infrastructure, especially during a summer marked by record-breaking heat.” 

Linda Seeley, spokesperson for Mothers for Peace, remarked: “SB 846 prioritized an unfounded energy need over public health and environmental safety, disregarding both seismic risks and the growing embrittlement of Unit 1’s pressure vessel.” She added, “California has the tools to ensure reliable, clean energy through renewables and battery storage. We don’t need to compromise health and safety to keep the lights on.” 

Diane Curran, attorney for the group, stated that both PG&E and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have failed to ensure the safety of the embrittled Unit 1 pressure vessel, a critical safety component that holds the reactor core. “The NRC is also allowing Unit 1 to operate past Nov. 2 despite serious concerns that earthquake faults under Diablo Canyon, which were discovered after it was built, could cause a nuclear accident,” Curran said. 

She noted that the group’s concerns have been documented in testimony to state and federal regulators by Dr. Digby Macdonald, Professor Emeritus of nuclear materials science at the University of California and Dr. Peter Bird, Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at UCLA. For a detailed explanation by Dr. Bird of the seismic dangers facing Diablo Canyon, watch the video here.  

November 2 should have been the Halloween treat Californians deserved, not the trick we received. When Halloween is over, this monster will continue to loom, threatening the health, safety, environment, and well-being of residents of the Golden State.

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https://mothersforpeace.org/october-31-2024-halloween-fright/

— NRC commissioners fail to take action on critical safety issue at Diablo Canyon NPP

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Mothers for Peace
October 3, 2023

San Luis Obispo, CA, October 4, 2023 — San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace (MFP) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) today deplored a decision of the Commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for demonstrating a complete lack of concern for the safety and security of the people living near the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. 

Disregarding expert evidence presented by MFP and FoE that the Diablo Canyon Unit 1 pressure vessel is at risk of dangerous embrittlement due to decades of neglect by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) and lax oversight by the NRC technical staff, the Commissioners refused to grant the groups’ hearing request or to order the immediate shutdown of the reactor for comprehensive testing of the reactor vessel’s condition.  

Instead, the Commissioners bucked the groups’ shutdown request back to the agency’s technical staff to consider whether to take enforcement action against PG&E. 

“We are appalled that the Commissioners are entrusting this important safety review to the same agency staff who for fifteen years has given PG&E repeated extensions of deadlines for essential tests and inspections,” said Diane Curran, attorney for MFP. Curran noted that the groups had intentionally petitioned the Commissioners, as the highest officers of the NRC, to exercise their legal responsibility for oversight of the technical staff.  

Nevertheless, the groups vowed to persevere. Hallie Templeton, Legal Director for FoE, said, “We plan to continue our rigorous watchdogging of PG&E and the NRC.” She added, “The Commissioners’ decision has raised a red flag to all of us. Anyone, including California politicians, who thinks the safety of Diablo Canyon can be entrusted to the federal government unquestioningly has just received a big wakeup call.” 

Linda Seeley, spokesperson for MFP, renewed the group’s call to the State of California to “go back to the original plan to close Diablo Canyon when it reaches its 40-year operating license limit in 2024 (Unit 1) and 2025 (Unit 2). Enough is enough.”  

https://mothersforpeace.org/nrc-commissioners-fail-to-take-action-on-critical-safety-issue-at-diablo-canyon/

And what about Unit 2 ????

— February 15 and 16, 2023 meetings of the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee

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For information on registration and zoom instructions:
https://mothersforpeace.org/february-15-and-16-2023-meetings-of-the-diablo-canyon-independent-safety-committee/

Highlights:

Morning Session – 02/15 – 9:00am

IV Action Items: C. Discussion of open items list (maintenance needed)

Afternoon Session – 02/15 – 1:30pm

XII Discussion: review, evaluation, and assessment of matters affected by extended operation under SB 846 including seismic safety, maintenance, and capital project planning

Evening Session – 02/15 – 5:15pm

XVIII Presentation by PG&E 

1. update on planning for both decommissioning and extended operations, including plans for license renewal

2. plans for reviewing, approving, and implementing capital projects and changes to maintenance programs needed to support extended operations

3. status of retention programs, attrition, and efforts to retain qualified staff for extended operations

Morning Session – 02/16 – 9:00am

XXV Presentation by PG&E on the state of the plant including key events, outages, highlights, organizational changes, results of refueling outage 2R23, Unit 2 reactor coolant system piping leak and other issues

Afternoon Session – 02/16 – 1:15pm

XXXI Presentation by PG&E on spent fuel management

https://mothersforpeace.org/february-15-and-16-2023-meetings-of-the-diablo-canyon-independent-safety-committee/