Friends of the Earth Launches Ad Campaign on Gov. Newsom’s Push to Extend the Life of Diablo Canyon
WASHINGTON – Today, Friends of the Earth U.S. launched advertisements regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s administrative push to extend the operation of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. In these advertisements, Friends of the Earth demands that the Newsom administration proceed with the retirement of the plant as planned and withdraw his legislative request.
“The Governor’s decision to try and extend the life of Diablo Canyon is reckless beyond belief,” said Erich Pica, President at Friends of the Earth U.S. “This ad campaign is meant to bring light to the serious problem that this administration has instigated. Governor Newsom should honor his and the State’s commitment to retire the plant on the timeline that plant workers, environmentalists, Pacific Gas and Electric and the State of California has already agreed upon.”
The Newsom administration has recently circulated a bill that overrides the groundbreaking 2016 Joint Proposal, which established the closure of Diablo Canyon for 2025. This provided the State of California time to procure greenhouse gas free replacement power, as well as provide a transition for workers and communities impacted by the closure. The new legislation threatens to undo more than 5 years’ worth of agreements, while undermining environmental and safety reviews of the plant’s reactors. This bill counters Newsom’s previous support for a firm retirement plan for the plant, which is extremely vulnerable to earthquake damage. Furthermore, there are high costs associated with generating electricity from nuclear energy.
“The risks really outweigh the rewards here,” Pica adds, “If the Newsom administration wants a safe and timely transition to clean renewable energy, then they should walk back this legislation as soon as possible.”
See Environment California, NRDC, and Friends of the Earth’s recent statement on the bill here.
More information can be found on Friends of the Earth’s position on the closure of Diablo Canyon here.
Communications Contact: Erika Seiber, [email protected]