[Sustain] Leno Measure On Nuke Plant Renewal

[Eric Brooks]

Hey all,

Odd development below in light of the fact that Leno just passed PG&E 
and Mayor Newsom friendly solar legislation.

Keep in mind though that it only delays re-licensing until the 
California Environment Commission (a very corporate co-opted agency) 
completes a study on the matter.

Eric


Originally From:  "Velayas, Shannan" <Shannan.Velayas at asm.ca.gov>
Date: June 1, 2007 11:56:45 AM PDT
Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Leno Measure Delaying PG&E's Effort to 
Re-license Aging Nuclear Plant Wins Committee Approval


For Immediate Release 
                           Contact: Shannan Velayas
Friday, June 1, 2007 
                                              (916) 319-2013


Leno Measure Delaying PG&E’s Effort to Re-license Aging Nuclear Plant 
Wins Committee Approval



Licenses for California ’s nuclear power plants aren’t scheduled to 
expire until 2021 and 2023



SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblyman Mark Leno’s AB 1046 which would put 
re-licensing of California’s aging nuclear power plants on hold until 
the California Energy Commission (CEC) completes their in-depth economic 
and reliability study was passed out of the Assembly Appropriations 
Committee yesterday.


“There are few decisions we make as a society that have as many far 
reaching implications as nuclear power,” said Leno.  “The waste it 
generates will remain radioactive for 300,000 years and a single nuclear 
disaster has the potential to contaminate vast regions of our planet. 
Moving nuclear plant reauthorizations forward 15 years before expiration 
of their current licenses and without a careful and deliberate analysis 
that is independent of vested interests is bad public policy,” he said.


AB 1046 would prohibit the California Public Utilities Commission from 
approving the further use of ratepayer funds for costs associated with 
re-licensing of nuclear power plants until the Energy Commission 
completes a study required by AB 1632, authored by Assemblyman Sam 
Blakeslee (R- San Luis Obispo) last year.  The study, which is scheduled 
to begin in July 2007 and conclude in November 2008, will assess the 
costs and impacts associated with accumulating radioactive waste at 
California’s two operating nuclear power plants, as well as evaluate the 
vulnerability of the 4000 megawatts they generate to major disruption 
from aging equipment or a major earthquake. The study is projected to 
cost $800,000.


In March, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) allowed 
PG&E, which owns the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, to spend16.8 million 
ratepayer dollars on an in-house study by the utility examining the 
feasibility of license renewal for the aging Diablo reactors.  Despite 
calls from legislative leaders that the PG&E study be delayed until the 
Energy Commission completes its work on the issue, the CPUC only 
suggested that the utility “defer to the extent feasible” the work on 
their in-house study.  AB 1046 does not reverse the CPUC decision, but 
delays further spending of ratepayer dollars on re-licensing costs until 
completion of the Energy Commission review.


Rochelle Becker is Executive Director of the Alliance for Nuclear 
Responsibility, which along with Sierra Club California, is 
co-sponsoring AB 1046. “The Legislature and the Governor have asked the 
Energy Commission to review the impacts of accumulating radioactive 
waste along our seismically active coast. This bill reasonably asks 
utilities to wait until the review is completed before rushing to 
re-licensure,” said Becker. AB 1046 will be heard next on the Assembly 
Floor.

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