Mothers, amirite? They can be so tenacious! I mean, when they set their minds to something, they do not relent. Take anti-nuclear group San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace. They are so disappointed in Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which have denied their request to hold a public hearing on the 20-year license application for Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
Mothers are very angry with you two! If they could send you to your room without dinner, they would.
Hey, I get it, Moms for Peace. You’ve been battling Diablo from the beginning. A memorable 1975 poster produced by the group depicted a mother and toddler with the text, “What do you do in case of a nuclear accident? Kiss your children goodbye.” Oh snap! That’s some serious mom admonishment!
Moms have been giving Diablo a disapproving look since construction began in 1968, and they haven’t stopped. On July 29, they, along with Friends of the Earth and Environmental Working Group, appealed to reverse the decision to not hold a public hearing. The three groups argue that the 20-year extension is too risky, citing “unacceptable earthquake risks, the aging and vulnerability of Unit 1’s pressure vessel to rupture, and Coastal Zone Management Act noncompliance.”
“The decision to deny a hearing on these vital safety issues is not only disappointing but dangerous,” Diane Curran, legal counsel for the petitioners, said. “Insulating PG&E’s unsafe operation of Diablo Canyon from public scrutiny to determine whether the plant can operate safely puts millions of people in California at risk if a meltdown should occur.”
Even if you’re pro-Diablo, a reasonable person should agree that a public hearing is warranted, but for some reason, the idea of extending Diablo’s operating life by 20 years feels like a foregone conclusion. Back in April, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to pass a resolution recommending the 20-year extension … even though at the time the plant had not yet met the requirements for a 5-year extension!
I understand the state is trying to reach its clean energy goal of zero-carbon energy by 2045, and I know that Diablo currently provides 8.6 percent of the state’s total energy and 17 percent of the state’s “clean” energy, but if we’re all irradiated by a nuclear meltdown and our community becomes unlivable, will this extension seem wise? Shouldn’t we at least offer the public a chance to air its views?
One dude who thinks this extension is playing with fire is Dr. Peter Bird, professor emeritus from UCLA’s Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences. He reviewed the 650-page study published in 2015 by PG&E called the Seismic Source Characterization for Diablo Canyon Power Plant, and he found “it placed an inappropriate emphasis on hazards from strike-slip faults such as the Hosgri Fault and the Shoreline Fault,” and that it “seriously underestimated the hazard from thrust faults underneath the Irish Hills.”
OK, sorry for getting nerd juice on you, but this dude has serious academic cred. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) awarded Bird his PhD in 1976, and before retiring, he taught at UCLA for 48 years. He’s an expert on crustal movements and the earthquakes they cause, and he argues that PG&E is not taking seriously the danger of a thrust-fault-generated earthquake under Irish Hills, which were formed by … wait for it … thrust faults! By his calculations, the danger of such a quake is 35- to 47-times higher than PG&E’s estimate, and that such a quake would seriously damage Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Kiss your children goodbye.
Speaking of seriously damaged, did conservative columnist John Donegan‘s mother drop him on his head? One of the benefits of living under the editor’s desk is reading opinion pieces before the paper is published, and I have to say, Donegan’s anti-Kamala Harris screed this week is misogynistic, deeply hypocritical, and downright typical. Everything he accuses Democrats of is actually true of Republicans! He speaks of “pledging fealty” to Harris and accuses Democrats of threatening excommunication of any of their members who don’t support her. Um, can you think of any Republicans who don’t have their noses buried deep in tRump‘s ass?
Donegan then winds up to throw the biggest rock he can find at his glass house with this nugget: “The nonsensical ‘word salads’ which erupt when [Harris] speaks are not reassuring.” Excuse my spit take! Harris might misspeak on occasion like anyone, but Trump is the undisputed champion of nonsense spewing, from his “I never understood wind” dumbshittery to his characterization of Puerto Rico as “an island surrounded by water, big water, ocean water” to his recent “A.I., little things … simple two … little simple letters.” Huh? In addition to being a rapist and convicted felon, he’s a megalomaniac, pathological liar, and egomaniac.
“Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest, and you know it!” the combover king undeservedly bragged. “Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure. It’s not your fault.”
Sigh.
Harris has energized young women and people of color across the country, and I can’t wait until Trump gets beaten by a “girl.” I just wish Harris was as progressive as conservatives believe. Δ
The Shredder believes it’s time to put a woman in charge. Tell it why not at shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 1-11, 2024.
The Shredder was apparently dropped on his pointy little head so often that his mother’s kitchen linoleum resembled the cratered lunar surface.
It is revealing to see that the biggest endorsement of Harris’ qualifications that he can offer is “well, what about Trump and the Republicans…….?” There are over 300 million Americans who AREN’T Trump, so why’d you select Harris? But then, of course, you didn’t select Harris, because your party elders didn’t trust you with that responsibility.
“Misogynistic”? Was it mentioning that Harris got her start in politics when at age 29 she started dating a 60 year old Speaker of the Assembly, who then appointed her to well-paid positions on the commission and a board? It is hard to imagine a feminist as someone who channels Anna Nicole Smith and her famous career track.
If Harris gets elected, I am hoping that the Shredder will offer his services to interpret her inauguration and state of the union addresses. With her profound clarity and gravitas, they should be a lot of fun.
Don Quijote liked Windmill Koolaid. Shredder likes his Koolaid even though Dems abruptly changed the flavor without asking.
Here’s some Kamala Word Salad to pair with your DEI thirst>
Receiving Russian prisoner release:
“This is just extraordinary testament to our president who understands the power of diplomacy. And understands the strength that rests of diplomacy and the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances”.
NT: Donkey? Elephant? im a golfer im going with a gopher…