Southern California Edison (SCE) is requesting millions of dollars in rate increases over the next few years. Among the items you’d be asked to pay for is a $15 million in-house study of license renewal for its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, Sierra Club, CALPIRG, Environment California Research and Policy Center and California Church IMPACT oppose funding for this study, and here’s why:

In 2006, our state legislature mandated that the California Energy Commission (CEC) conduct a full cost, benefit and risk analysis of California’s continued reliance on aging nuclear reactors on our fragile coast. This analysis is to be completed in November 2008, and until the recommendations of this analysis are complete, adopted and implemented it would irresponsible for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to allow funding of SCE’s in-house funding.

The license for San Onofre currently expires in 2022. By that time, hundreds of tons of highly radioactive waste will have been produced from the daily operation of these aging reactors. More that twenty-five years after the Nuclear Waste Policy Act was past there is still no solution for the safe and permanent storage of this lethal waste.

To allow relicensing of the reactors will create additional decades of radioactive waste on our seismic coast—with no solutions in site—and could cost SCE ratepayers unnecessary millions of dollars. Furthermore, it is reasonable to wait until the state has determined whether the only way to produce 2000 MW of power is one that will burden future generations with the problems of nuclear pollution. And if the state is already paying for this study with tax dollars, why should Edison be charging you as well?

We ask that you take the time to attend the following public participation hearing in your community. If you are unable to attend we hope you will use this alert as a sample letter to send to the CPUC in opposition to this premature request by SCE for funding a license renewal study.

You can email or write to the CPUC: President Michael Peevey http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/sendemail/(jfe5mk552u0oi055tssqzkrq)/sendmail.aspx?cmr=5218

Schedule for Public Participation meetings:

April 14, 2008 - 6:00pm - PALM SPRINGS
Palm Springs City Hall Council Chamber
3200 Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA

April 15, 2008 - 6:00pm - VISALIA
Visalia Convention Center - Sequoia B Room
303 E. Acequiz Avenue, Visalia, CA

April 28, 2008 - 6:00pm - LONG BEACH
Long Beach Public Library - Main Library Auditorium
101 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, CA

April 29, 2008 - 12:00noon - SANTA ANA
Santa Ana City Council Chambers
22 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA

April 30, 2008 - 6:00pm - SAN BERNARDINO
San Bernardino Library - Bing Wong
555 West 6th Street, San Bernardino, CA

A Compton hearing may be added for the public, check out website to find out.