PRESS RELEASE: Mothers for Peace statement on NRC ruling giving Diablo Canyon exemption
PO Box 3608
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3608
http://mothersforpeace.org
NEWS RELEASE Contacts: Jane Swanson, Spokesperson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (805) 440-1359
March 3, 2023 (805) 234-1769
This statement is in response to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) ruling of March 2 that PG&E is exempt from regulations that have long required a safety review by the NRC before any reactor could operate beyond the date of its operating license.
The joint press release by Mothers for Peace, Friends of the Earth, and Environmental Working Group on the MFP website under “latest news”. See https://mothersforpeace.org/nrc-caves-to-nrc-on-exemption-for-diablo-canyon-license-extension/ explains details of the ruling and reasons why the three organizations oppose it.
Mothers for Peace, a local non-profit organization run by volunteers, has acted as Legal Intervenor with the NRC since 1973, with a goal of making California a nuclear-free state. This recent ruling is not surprising, as the NRC has always prioritized the economic interests of the nuclear industry over the safety of those living downwind from nuclear reactors and radioactive wastes. Mothers for Peace, in conjunction with allied organizations, will challenge this unsafe and illegal ruling.
Never before has the NRC allowed a plant designed in the 1950s and constructed in the 70’s to continue running past the expiration of its licenses without first conducting a safety review. Such a review is especially urgent in the case of Diablo. PG&E has been maintaining the plant only to keep it running until 2025, since until last spring the company was committed to shut it down in that year. To make matters worse, these reactors are surrounded by 13 earthquake faults, one of which goes directly under the plant.
Mothers for Peace is already working with its two attorneys and consulting with potential expert witnesses to force the NRC to comply with federal law and its own regulations. Our organization is planning fund-raising events to support these legal efforts, which might necessitate action in the United States Court of Appeals.
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