It has been said that the simple believe anything, but the wise think about what they do. This is clearly evident in a recent opinion letter about Diablo Canyon, which the author believes poses a viable existential threat to our community and the world, despite that fact that for nearly three-quarters of a century nuclear power has proven to be among the safest forms of power production (“Speak out against Diablo Canyon Power Plant operations,” Feb. 9).
In their ill-considered zeal, anti-nuclear activists rarely pause to consider the consequences of their endeavors. For one thing, the closure of Diablo Canyon would deprive California of a valuable source of reliable clean energy. Current production data indicates that less than a quarter of its production could be replaced by unreliable renewables on an annual basis. The majority of that lost production would default to fossil fuels, exacerbating the clear and present existential threat posed by global warming.
They fail to consider that continued Diablo Canyon operation has been extended out of necessity because it became clear, even to legislative simpletons, that a power mix overly dependent on inconsistent and unreliable renewable sources will never be able to substantially meet California’s energy demand, and that the closure of Diablo would contribute to an increase in blackouts and a growing dependence on out-of-state resources.
They give no thought to the severe economic and social consequences that the closure of Diablo Canyon will impose upon our community: the loss of many millions of dollars in local sales and property tax revenue; the loss of some 1,500 high-paying permanent jobs; and the fact that more a thousand of our neighbors and their families will be compelled to leave in search of other opportunities.
The lesson here is simple. If you truly care about your community, the future of humanity, and the welfare of the environment, you would do well to search out the facts first and carefully consider the consequences of your action before mouthing off the usual threadbare fearmongering.
Mark Henry
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Feb 16-26, 2023.
Excellent commentary.
“for nearly three-quarters of a century nuclear power has proven to be among the safest forms of power production”
You might ask the folks who lived around Chernoybl and Fukushima about that.
I invite those who are interested to check out the CAISO data at https://www.caiso.com/TodaysOutlook/Pages/…
You will note the daily contribution of renewables, and you will also (over time) note the inexplicable decrease or elimination of Diablo’s contribution to California’s electricity supply. Diablo is hardly “dependable”, as it could shut down forever at any moment (see San Onofre) and PG&E has already acknowledged the efficiency gained by aggressive support of renewables compared to continued operation of Diablo. PG&E and the unions also have committed to support employees during the planned shutdown of Diablo, the type of labor transition that has effected many other industries. Ratepayers and taxpayers (including environmentalists) are supporting this transition, as well. Perhaps, it’s the author who is not considering all the facts?
One or both Diablo Canyon reactors were down approximately 40% of the days over the last 4 years according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission reactor status data (2018-2021). This was for both planned and unplanned outages. For example, a corroded salt water pump was allowed to stay in service until it caused an emergency shutdown. Has the Governor been told the truth about Diablo Canyon down time? Relying on Diablo Canyon reactors may result in more blackouts.
https://sanonofresafety.files.wordpress.co…
Did You Know About All Of The Safe and Clean
Routine Radiation Releases
from the Diablo Canyon Nuke Plant ?
They forgot to tell you ?
After all these years there is still no way to hide or dispose of the highly radioactive poison nuke waste… which is
stacked around Diablo Nuke Plant with nowhere to go… and
with no state or country wanting to deal with storing for many many years the poison radioactive waste.
Just because the dangerous radioactivity is invisible does not make it clean or safe.
Lets keep her going until the earthquake helps rusty Diablo destroys half of California
Then we can all say.. sorry about all the cancer and loss of a Very Nice State…
We just needed the extra property tax…
Mark Henry’s Op-Ed is spot on, 100% correct in every way. For those of you who refuse to be more open-minded about reading the available data reflecting actual human exposure to nuclear radiation, just listen to Michael Shellenberger’s Ted Talk and you might change your mind: https://youtu.be/ciStnd9Y2ak
Nuclear powered energy contained and distributed safely has and will continue to be the most efficient, carbon-limited source available to all of us. It will take a mind-shift to realize it. Hopefully, you’ll take the time to listen to the Ted Talk.
“will continue to be the most efficient”
Right now, I have to agree, but within 10 years, it will not be and by 2050 it should be gone. Let’s just hope there are no more Fukushima type events in those 27 years. With the recent 7.2 quake in Turkey, we are reminded that there are powerful forces moving below the earth’s surface.
Unfortunately, in their folly, the builders of Diablo placed it almost exactly underneath the Hosgri and Shoreline fault lines. The Shoreline fault, less than a mile from the plant’s reactors, was not discovered until 2008 and scientists believe it could produce a quake that would compromise the plant’s 1970’s technology. While I understand the need to keep Diablo on line for a few more years, we need to be moving expeditiously toward total renewable energy as soon as possible.