Monthly Archives: February 2019

Shutdown Diablo – No Fukushima in California!


Tests for Safety Demanded During Re-Fueling Shutdown
Jane Fonda, Ed Asner, Dr. Helen Caldicott & 1000s of other Californians want the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant to go through rigorous safety testing following Fairewinds 2017 report showing that PG&E is deferring millions of dollars of vital maintenance work.  This Fairewinds Report by Chief Nuclear Engineer Arni Gundersen tells why.

Diablo Canyon Defers Millions Of Dollars Of Maintenance

An Analysis By Fairewinds Associates, Inc for Mothers For Peace

 By the Fairewinds Crew

Deferring maintenance of critical energy infrastructure can lead to death and devastation as evidenced by two major episodes in California.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has a history of deferring maintenance, most notably of gas pipelines that led to 8 deaths in the San Bruno suburb of San Francisco September 9, 2010, and more recently, it was PG&E’s lack of maintenance on electrical wires that likely sparked California’s deadly Camp Fire Blaze in November 2018 that led to the deaths of at least 85 people.

In 2016, Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates Inc was retained by Mothers For Peace in San Luis Obispo to analyze documents presented by PG&E regarding the condition of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and to write a report for the California Public Utilities Control (CPUC) assessing its current condition for continued operation. Diablo Canyon was designed, built, and operated by PG&E beginning in 1965.

Fairewinds identified numerous examples of dangerously deferred maintenance for critical mechanical portions of the Diablo Canyon atomic power plant that were submitted in Mr. Gundersen’s testimony to the CPUC on January 27th, 2017. The Fairewinds’ report was submitted today as part of a petition, endorsed by Jane Fonda, Ed Asner, as well as numerous other celebrities, academics, and activist groups, that was sent to California Governor Gavin Newsom asking that Diablo Canyon undergo rigorous safety testing to ensure it is as safe as PG&E claims.

Now that PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection on January 29th, 2019, it is likely that new cash constraints will further delay critical plant repairs. Delay of these vital repairs at Diablo Canyon further exacerbates the ongoing danger of operating an aging nuclear power plant that has severe mechanical deficiencies and is located on numerous earthquake faults.

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Sign the Petition:

Gov.Newsom,Test Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Safety

To be delivered to Michael Picker, Pres., Public Utilities Commission, Liane Randolph, Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission, Martha Guzman Aceves, Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission, Clifford Rechtschaffen, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission, Governor Gavin Newsom, The California State House, The California State Senate We, the people of California, ask Governor Newsom and other state leaders to order the controversial Diablo Canyon nuclear plant tested for potential dangers involving seismic vulnerability, pressure vessel damage and nuclear waste leakage before the reactor is allowed to re-open after being shut down for refueling in February.

1,025 signatures. NEW goal – We need 2,000!

Sign Here