FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2022
Contact: Brandon Dawson, brandon.dawson@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club California Responds to San Diego Tribune Report on Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant
Sacramento, CA - Yesterday, the San Diego Tribune reported that Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the operator of the last nuclear power plant in California, said that it plans to submit an application for a share of federal funding that aims to keep its financially strapped facilities online.
This comes following a concerted effort by Governor Newsom to keep Diablo Canyon open, including a $75 million allocation for the Department of Water Resources to purchase electricity from Diablo Canyon and methane power plants in his controversial “Energy Trailer Bill.”
In response, Brandon Dawson, Director of Sierra Club California, issued the following statement:
“Sierra Club California is deeply concerned with Governor Newsom’s obsession with continuously funding dangerous and polluting energy resources. Instead of propping up outmoded nuclear plants, Newsom should instead be providing more resources and funding to deploy renewable energy infrastructure across California.
“The Sierra Club has opposed nuclear energy for decades, as it poses a catastrophic risk to our lands, ecosystems, and public health. Sierra Club activists were leaders in the initial effort to stop the construction of Diablo Canyon, and we continue to oppose its dangerous and environmentally harmful operation today.
“Newsom’s effort to keep Diablo Canyon open contradicts a 2016 agreement environmental and labor groups reached with PG&E to begin shutting down the 37-year-old power plant starting in 2024. In addition to the presumably high costs to the public, keeping Diablo Canyon online would require legislation and a slew of federal, state and local regulatory approvals. Newsom must abandon his efforts to extend the life of Diablo Canyon.”
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters.