State Dems and Sierra Club urge retirement of California nuke plants
The Sierra Club and the Environmental Caucus of the California Democratic Party have endorsed resolutions to bar the relicensing of nuclear power plants in the state.
Sierra Club Logo
> Santa Lucia Chapter
P.O. Box 15755
> San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
(805) 543-8717
> www.santalucia.sierraclub.org
October 5, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Andrew Christie, Sierra Club (805) 543-8717 David Weisman, Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility (805) 772-7077
State Dems and Sierra Club urge retirement of California nuke plants
The Sierra Club and the Environmental Caucus of the California Democratic Party have endorsed resolutions to bar the relicensing of nuclear power plants in the state.
The California Public Resources Code currently stipulates that no new nuclear facilities may be built in the state until and unless there exists a demonstrated technology or means for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste.
The Sierra Club's California-Nevada Regional Conservation Committee, meeting in San Luis Obispo on September 25, endorsed a resolution supporting amendment of the Public Resources Code to extend the construction prohibition to the re-licensing of currently operating nuclear power plants. The state Democratic Party's Environmental Caucus followed suit with a similar resolution on October 2.
PG&E and Southern California Edison, operators of the Diablo Canyon and San Onofre nuclear power plants, the sites of the last four commercial nuclear reactors in California, have not yet applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for renewal of the current licenses for the plants. Relicensing would extend the operating lives of the plants by twenty years or more. The NRC has said that it expects all current reactors to apply for renewal.
"Increased investment in clean power, in combination with energy efficiencies and conservation, will facilitate the shift to renewable energy sources in accordance with California's energy goals," said Karen Merriam, Chair of the Sierra Club's Santa Lucia Chapter in San Luis Obispo. "That can't happen while we are still throwing money at aging nuclear plants and bearing the increasing burden of indefinite storage of their waste." Both the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon Plants have recently applied to the Public Utilities Commission to replace failing steam generators at a cost of up to $800 million each.
Rochelle Becker, executive director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, welcomed the dual endorsement. "We will be asking lawmakers to introduce amending legislation in Sacramento next year that will restrict the production of high-level radioactive waste on California's coast to current license terms," she said.
### |
