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.
Why is this important?
PG & E, the company that manages Diablo Canyon, cannot be depended on to protect the people of California. The company is facing bankruptcy resulting from massive Northern California fires and a fatal gas explosion. Please intervene to take charge of testing for safety at Diablo Canyon, a nuclear plant located on an active earthquake fault near San Luis Obispo, and assure the people of California the plant will not re-open if tests prove the nuclear plant is unsafe.
In 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned that Diablo Unit One was among the five most embrittled reactors in the U.S. Because the internals of all atomic reactors are subjected to intense heat, pressure and radiation, critical metals can lose their resiliency and shatter, leading to catastrophe. Cracking of dry casks at other nuclear sites, including San Onofre, make essential a full evaluation of the management of nuclear waste at Diablo. Additionally, a dozen earthquake faults have been discovered near Diablo since Unit One was designed, raising questions as to whether the reactor would be able to withstand a serious earthquake.
It's imperative we avoid a nuclear accident that could endanger the lives of California residents.
