San Diego Organizations Support Prohibition on License Renewals for California Nuclear Plants and Oppose Steam Generator Replacement at SONGS

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility - a statewide organization formed to prohibit license renewals of California’s nuclear plants - has garnered support from four San Diego environmental organizations. The Environmental Health Coalition, San Diego Baykeeper, San Diego Audubon Society and the Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter agreed that radioactive waste now licensed to be stored on the state’s earthquake active coastal zones must be curtailed as soon as current licenses are termed.

California’s four operating nuclear reactors are licensed until 2021-2025. By the end of these licenses many tons of radioactive waste will be stored in vulnerable earthquake active zones on our coast. Currently no safe storage facility has been proven politically, scientifically and/or environmentally feasible. As importantly, there is no safe and secure transport method for hundreds of radioactive fuel assemblies that will travel past millions of California on its way a permanent site.

In addition, the San Diego Bay Council issued a position paper opposing replacement of the failing steam generators for SONGS for water quality reasons (see supporting materials). If the steam generators are not replaced at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (“SONGS”), the nuclear plant must close by 2014-2016.

Hearings before the California Public Utilities Commission on steam generator replacement are set to begin in San Francisco on January 31, 2005. Steam generator replacement is also being considered for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant in San Luis Obispo.