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DESCRIPTION:8/30/22 Tuesday Oakland Press Conference-HALT the SB 846 Bill for the  
 taxpayers and ratepayers of California That Keeps Diablo Canyon 
 Open!\n\nWhat:   Press Conference At Senator Nancy Skinner’s Oakland 
 Office To Oppose SB 846 To Provide $14. Billion To PG&E To Keep Diablo 
 Canyon Nuclear Plant Open\n\nWhen:  Tuesday August 30th at 10AM\n\nWhere: 
 Oakland State Building 1515 Clay St. Oakland\n\n8/30/22 Tuesday Emergency 
 Press Conference to STOP The Re-Opening Of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power 
 Plant  on Tuesday August 30th at 10AM\nOakland State Building 1515 Clay St. 
 Oakland\n\nGovernor Newsom is has made  secret deal with PG&E and the 
 nuclear industry to re-open the Diablo Nuclear Power Plant which is located 
 on an earthquake fault and give these PG&E  criminal executives a a $1.4 
 billion tax payer gift that will give them billions of dollars in 
 profit.\nThey are pushing through this  bill in the legiislature SB846 
 without any hearings in subcommittees and it was only printed last night. 
 This is a sneak attack on the people of California to make the ratepayer 
 pay twice for Diablo Canyon since were are already paying for itt’s 
 decoomiission.\nSenator Nancy Skiinner can stop the bill because of her 
 power in the legislature as committee chair of  but we have to put the heat 
 on her.\nChair, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review\nChair, Joint Legislative 
 Budget Committee\nMember, Senate Environmental Quality\nMember, Joint 
 Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies\n \nThere will be a press 
 conference with California labor and environmental groups on Tuesday August 
 30th at 10AM in front of her office at the \nOakland State Building at 1515 
 Clay St\nPlease attend and let your friends know.\nWe cannot afford another 
 Fukushima in California\nYou can also call her office at 510-286-1333 or 
 (916) 651-4009 and oppose her allowinng a vote to keep this broken nuclear 
 plant open with $1.4 billion dollars of our tax money.\nThis should be 
 going for solarzatiion and not a dangerous nuclear plant on our 
 coast.\nAlso call other CA Assembly Members and Senators includng Chiu, 
 Ting, Weiner  in SF and Bonta in Alameda  to STOP this rip-off of the 
 people of California.\n\nNo Nukes Actiion Committee \nFor more information 
 call\nhttp://nonukesaction.wordpress.com/\n\n\nNo, California doesn’t 
 need Diablo Canyon to keep the lights 
 on\nhttps://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/California-Diablo-Canyon-nuclear-power-17396392.php\nAmory 
 Lovins and Ed Smeloff\nAug. 25, 2022\nGov. Gavin Newsom wants to keep 
 Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open for 10 years beyond their planned 
 closure.\nGov. Gavin Newsom wants to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant 
 open for 10 years beyond their planned closure.\nMichael Mariant/Associated 
 Press 2008\nUnder the past three governors, California has worked on 
 mapping out a clear pathway to zeroing out greenhouse gases in the 
 world’s fifth largest economy. Meeting this ambitious goal in a way that 
 does not jeopardize electric reliability while maintaining reasonable costs 
 across California’s economy has been the work of energy planners and 
 economists both inside and outside of state government for the past 15 
 years.\nBut a hasty push from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to extend the 
 operations of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant may jeopardize years of 
 planning and add huge costs and risks.\nIn 2016, Pacific Gas and Electric 
 Co. put forward a plan to the California Public Utilities Commission to 
 retire the two Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors at the expiration of their 
 operating licenses in 2024 and 2025. The plan was devised in a very 
 deliberate and analytical way, involving diverse stakeholders — including 
 a nearly unanimous state Legislature just four years ago.\nThe plan 
 anticipated that with nearly a 10-year runway, the state would be able to 
 develop new power resources that would carry California forward into a more 
 sustainable future.\nCalifornia has made good progress in building new 
 clean reliable power sources. During the heat wave last week, for example, 
 the California Independent System Operator, which manages the operation of 
 the state’s transmission system, dispatched over 2,800 megawatts of 
 battery-stored power. That was 25% more than the 2,256-megawatt maximum 
 capability of the Diablo Canyon reactors. California’s utilities and 
 other energy providers are now entering into contracts to add 10,000 more 
 megawatts of battery storage to the grid by summer of 2025. If California 
 follows through on its commitments, the Diablo Canyon plant will not be 
 needed to ensure Californians reliable power beyond 2025.\nBut beyond not 
 being needed for reliability, the continued use of the plant poses another 
 issue: It will get in the way of the efficient overall operation of the 
 regional power grid. The plant lacks the ability to meet the fluctuating 
 power requirements of the state at any given moment. That’s not true with 
 battery-stored power, which can be raised and lowered as needed. Diablo 
 Canyon can’t do that; its energy output must be used the instant it is 
 generated.\nThe state’s solar power plants already produce seven times as 
 much electricity as Diablo Canyon during the midday, according to the 
 California Energy Commission. That amount could grow to as much as 15 times 
 by the end of the decade to keep California on its zero-carbon 
 target.\nMaintaining the operation of an inflexible nuclear power plant 
 when there is abundant solar and wind energy creates an energy redundancy. 
 Most likely it means that the solar and wind energy will be wasted, since 
 the nuclear power plant is not capable of ramping up or down quickly. The 
 result: a big waste of taxpayer dollars and a less competitive California 
 economy.\nExtending the operating license of a nuclear power plant is a 
 complex process that typically begins at least five years before its 
 expiration date. Documenting the necessary improvements at the plant will 
 likely require millions of hours of work by PG&E employees and consultants 
 — which is the reason the governor is asking the Legislature to authorize 
 a $1.4 billion forgivable loan during the last week of the legislative 
 session.\nGiven that there was no plan in place to extend the operation of 
 the plant, it is certainly possible that these funds could all be spent 
 only to discover that the plant has significant flaws that either prevent 
 the operating license from being extended or require substantial additional 
 capital expenditures.\nRather than putting so many eggs in one fragile 
 basket, California should focus on further developing its diverse portfolio 
 of proven, low-cost resources focused on renewables and on efficient and 
 timely use of electricity. Because these resources cost less and last far 
 longer than running Diablo Canyon, they will avoid more carbon emissions 
 with greater certainty. The California Assembly is on the right track in 
 putting together a package of incentives that focuses on the long-term 
 future while meeting shorter-term needs.\nThe vast amount of taxpayer money 
 proposed for the Diablo Canyon extension very likely could be put at risk 
 by events outside California’s control. Moreover, the sudden decision to 
 rely on the nuclear plant for another 10 years will upset all of the 
 careful planning done by the California Public Utilities Commission in its 
 complex integrated resource modeling and by the California Independent 
 System Operator in its transmission reliability studies. Years of work by 
 these agencies would have to start anew. No state agency requested Diablo 
 Canyon extension. No utility proposed it — not even its owner, PG&E, in 
 its June 2022 plan. The wise course is to keep calm and carry on.\nTwo 
 California utilities, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and 
 Southern California Edison, shut down nuclear power plants before the end 
 of their operating licenses because of increasing costs and diminishing 
 performance. Neither utility has had any regrets. Instead, the decision to 
 close these facilities opened up new possibilities that have benefited 
 their customers and the economy.\nAll major decisions have opportunity 
 costs. Choosing one path closes off others. But one thing is certain: 
 Hastily reversing Diablo Canyon’s closure without any significant 
 analysis or public oversight is a costly recipe for regret.\n\nPhysicist 
 Amory Lovins is an adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering 
 at Stanford and has advised major firms and governments. Ed Smeloff has 
 worked in the energy industry for 25 years, including as a board member of 
 the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.\n\nCalifornia can’t count on 
 Diablo Canyon’s nuclear power, so it should spend now on renewables 
 \n\nCalifornia can’t count on Diablo Canyon’s nuclear power, so it 
 should spend now on renewables 
 \n\nhttps://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-08-24/diablo-canyon-renewables\n\n\nAn 
 alternative proposal by members of the state Assembly would put $1.4 
 billion toward renewable energy, transmission and storage in lieu of Gov. 
 Gavin Newsom’s proposal to allow the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to 
 keep operating until 2035.(Joe Johnston / San Luis Obispo Tribune)\nBY THE 
 TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD\nAUG. 24, 2022 5 AM PT \nGov. Gavin Newsom’s 
 proposal to extend the life of California’s last remaining nuclear plant 
 has become a major point of contention in negotiations with state lawmakers 
 as the legislative session enters its final days.\nBut a counterproposal 
 from members of the state Assembly offers another path to avoid power 
 outages. Their plan would allow the Diablo Canyon plant on the Central 
 Coast to retire in 2025 as scheduled and spend at least $1.4 billion — 
 the same amount Newsom wants to give Pacific Gas & Electric to keep the 
 plant operating through 2035 — on renewable power instead.\nThat money 
 would be used to accelerate renewable energy, transmission and storage 
 projects, reduce permitting delays for solar, wind and geothermal 
 developments and support programs that pay consumers to use less power on 
 hot summer evenings when the grid is at highest risk for outages. These are 
 common-sense measures to bolster the electrical grid, and they should be 
 taken regardless of whether Newsom’s proposal to keep Diablo Canyon open 
 another decade moves forward.\nUnlike Newsom’s plan, this alternative 
 does not depend on a single aging plant that has been operating since 1985 
 and sits near several earthquake fault lines. It relies instead on a 
 diverse array of clean energy sources that are less expensive, per 
 kilowatt-hour, and don’t pose the safety and environmental hazards of 
 nuclear power. They are the same renewable resources California needs 
 anyway to meet its climate targets, reduce health-damaging air pollution 
 and avoid catastrophic heating of the planet. Reaching the state’s goal 
 of 100% renewable and zero-carbon electricity sales by 2045 will require 
 building wind and solar power at roughly triple today’s rates, according 
 to a report last year by state agencies.\nProponents of extending the life 
 of Diablo Canyon argue that having 2,240 megawatts of carbon-free 
 electricity available around the clock for a few more years would provide a 
 buffer against blackouts while the state gets more renewable power and 
 storage up and running. State officials have been scrambling to address 
 concerns that extreme heat, drought, wildfires and supply chain shortages 
 will result in power outages in the coming years, particularly during hot 
 evenings in August and September when solar generation drops off but demand 
 for electricity soars.\nBut the plan to reverse course and keep running 
 Diablo Canyon is full of risks and obstacles and dependent on decisions and 
 agencies outside state lawmakers’ control. Which is why the 
 administration’s dismissive attitude toward Assembly members’ 
 alternative plan — which a governor’s spokesman likened to “fantasy 
 and fairy dust”— is concerning.\nThe governor still hasn’t made the 
 case that keeping Diablo Canyon open will avert more environmental risks 
 than it prolongs. Nor does his plan address the full costs to the 
 environment and to ratepayers, the extent of the maintenance and seismic 
 retrofits needed to ensure the plant can operate safely, and whether the 
 extension will reduce the urgency to deploy renewable energy. Those are 
 real concerns that can’t be glossed over. Though Newsom’s plan would 
 exempt Diablo Canyon from environmental reviews and other requirements, 
 there are no guarantees that the plant will be able to secure the funding 
 and permit approvals and overcome legal challenges to keep operating past 
 2025. So, for now, state officials need to proceed as if the plant will 
 shut down on schedule.\nThe governor’s office has presented the Diablo 
 Canyon legislation as something of a sixth pillar to his five-part climate 
 proposal, another last-minute push that nonetheless would advance bold and 
 meaningful actions to confront the climate crisis. But it would be terrible 
 if those vital climate measures are scuttled as Diablo Canyon consumes the 
 time and attention of lawmakers in the final days before the legislative 
 session ends on Aug. 31.\nThe governor’s office argues it is moving fast 
 because it doesn’t want to miss a September deadline to be considered for 
 $6 billion in federal funds to help save nuclear plants facing closure. But 
 ramming this through late in the session prevents the type of public 
 scrutiny and transparency that could increase environmental and financial 
 protections. \nEnsuring a reliable power grid is going to be crucial to the 
 success of the state’s climate programs. Because when the lights go out 
 during a heat wave it doesn’t only erode confidence in California’s 
 transition from fossil fuels, it poses an immediate threat to people’s 
 lives. To reach its greenhouse gas targets, California will need to 
 electrify much of the economy, and state officials expect that will 
 increase power consumption by as much as 68% by 2045.\nWhether Diablo 
 Canyon has three more years of life or 13, it is ultimately a stopgap, and 
 no substitute for broader efforts to quickly build clean and affordable 
 energy and storage to power zero-emission cars, homes and buildings needed 
 to fight climate change. Lawmakers have a chance to further those goals 
 with or without nuclear power, and they should act now.\n\n\nTell your 
 legislators to Reject Newsom's Monster Nuclear 
 Bailout!\n\nhttps://actionnetwork.org/letters/reject-newsoms-monster-nuclear-bailout?source=direct_link&\n\n\nSave 
 Diablo? Hell no. Please send a letter to your California legislators and 
 tell them to vote no on any legislation to extend the lifetime of the 
 Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Californians deserve better than unsafe, 
 unreliable, dirty energy. Newsom’s nuclear bailout upends the energy 
 resource development needed to meet California’s clean energy and climate 
 goals while conning ratepayers and taxpayers for billions of dollars of 
 wasted and misdirected investment in nuclear energy. The proposed letter to 
 legislators includes several of the most important arguments against 
 extending the planned closure of Diablo Canyon. For more information, see 
 the links below.\n\nProposed 
 Legislation:\n\nhttps://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/15/california-lawmakers-float-legislation-to-keep-last-nuclear-plant-open.html\n\nhttps://cacommunityenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/082422-Bill-language-update-rn2220481_distprint.pdf69.pdf\n\nAnalysis:\n\nhttps://cacommunityenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Veium-Freehling-Pathway-to-a-Clean-and-Reliable-Grid-without-Diablo-Canyon-220824-1.pdf\n\nhttps://cacommunityenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Severence-LetsBeReasonableAboutNuclear_8-2022-1.pdf\n\nRelevant 
 Articles:\n\nhttps://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/California-Diablo-Canyon-nuclear-power-17396392.php\n\nhttps://www.canarymedia.com/articles/nuclear/should-california-keep-its-last-nuclear-plant-open-the-battle-is-back?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=222903383&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_TkNGxasXStxspQrCG2yBUar05UQB_a1DkUpUy_NTctJko9ISJMVsbpXet9Aw--4RdeUpXuXGimFTVHBxXpf7HOG7Rgg&utm_source=newsletter\n\nhttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-08-16/diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant-should-be-shut-down\n\nhttps://calmatters.org/commentary/2022/07/the-diablo-canyon-power-plant-wont-stop-power-outages/\n\n\n\nCritical 
 Issues: \nThe state legislature doesn’t need to act immediately on 
 Diablo; rather SB846 is a bad faith deal intended to be forced on 
 Californians secretly at the literal midnight hour end of the legislative 
 session (Wednesday August 31)\nAn existing agreement was negotiated by all 
 major interested parties and written into law as SB1090\nThe operator of 
 Diablo (PG&E) should not be trusted: it is a convicted felon that went 
 bankrupt because of its disastrous safety record\nDiablo Canyon’s poorly 
 maintained reactors are unreliable with 40% down days every year (for one 
 or both reactors).\nTo prevent blackouts (and their tremendous economic 
 cost) due to unreliability, 1 GW of battery is already coming online to 
 cover both peak hours and downtime of power plants; nuclear is NOT 
 necessary (or useful) \nGAME CHANGER MEANS EXTENDING DIABLO ISN’T 
 NECESSARY: The Federal Inflation Reduction Act provides distributed 
 renewables not only $50B in direct manufacturing subsidies and ~$200B in 
 renewables supply, but nearly limitless funding (anybody who needs tax 
 deductions from anybody who buys solar/wind/battery—we could literally 
 pay zero federal tax for the next 10 years, and to show for it, have a 
 clean energy foundation and to power all other priorities and revenue 
 sources)\nRooftop solar *by itself* (not counting other renewables, 
 distributed or otherwise) generates *more* power than Diablo (by 20-40% 
 statewide) *and* supports more good paying jobs\n1500 Workers at Diablo, 
 70,000 Distributed Renewables workers statewide\nRooftop solar gets cut off 
 when rolling blackouts happen, and is not even paid its fair share for its 
 contribution to the grid\nPer former CPUC president (Loretta Lynch): ISO 
 prioritizes exports to other states for profit rather than California 
 Ratepayers for reliability\nA massive offshore wind project is scheduled to 
 come online at the same time as the Diablo license expires, replacing 
 (100$\ndirty mining != clean energy
 (other ways nuclear isn’t 
 clean)\nNuclear energy is not “clean”. Keeping the unreliable Diablo 
 Canyon reactors running will continue to slow conversion to reliable 
 renewable resources.\nDiablo Canyon was partly responsible for the August 
 2020 rolling blackouts.  Both reactors were operating at the time of the 
 blackouts. However, CASIO couldn't count on the reactors because of their 
 history of one or both of the reactors being down an average of 40% of the 
 days in every year, either for planned or unplanned outages. \nPG&E 
 continues to mismanage these aging reactors. For example, one of the ocean 
 cooling pumps was corroded, but PG&E didn't replace it. This eventually 
 resulted in an emergency shutdown of the plant.\nOne of the Diablo Canyon 
 unplanned outages cost us $173 million to buy power on the expensive retail 
 market. Now Newsom wants ratepayers to pay for Diablo downtime instead of 
 PG&E\nAnother example of mismanagement: the feedwater pumps are aging and 
 are not designed to be replaced. When they fail, PG&E tries to patch them 
 up. This has caused numerous shutdowns over the years. \nThis rush to 
 extend licensing period was pushed by non-registered lobbyists\nSome 
 “environmental experts” covered in the media are utility managers (one 
 was PG&E CEO)\nNow Governor Newsom wants to give PG&E these gifts in SB846 
 -- to be voted on Wednesday!!\n3 times the normal amount of money to keep 
 Diablo running.\nEliminate PG&E liability cost for shutdowns \nMake all 
 ratepayers who are in CCA's, SDG&E, SCE, PG&E pay for Diablo Canyon in 
 their electric bills.\nBankrupt CCA's by forcing them to pay for Diablo 
 Canyon.\nForce all the ratepayers to pay for all the deferred upgrades 
 needed to license Diablo Canyon. PG&E refuses to disclose the amount. 
 \n\nSafety and ratepayer and environmental protections are completely 
 stripped out\nAll the benefits are to the corporations, all the harms are 
 externalized\nPG&E is demanding an Open checkbook – Repairs and upgrades 
 needed to renew license can be in the multiple $billions. Governor Newsom, 
 as their champion, simply wants to raise our electric rates\nIn summary: is 
 PG&E freaking out about competition, making a desperate grab to save $3.3B 
 in profits on a stranded monolith asset \nCalPERS official position (as 
 stated in the committee hearing on Friday) is: opposed to the extension of 
 Diablo's license\nCCA’s will be paying for Diable Canyon and may likely 
 bankrupt them. \nCAISO, CEC and CPUC reports state we don’t need Diablo 
 Canyon for reliability. We won’t have blackouts without Diablo. Governor 
 Newsom has provided no evidence.\nThreat To The Development of Adequate 
 Clean Energy in California\n \n\n\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/08/29/18851800.php
SUMMARY:HALT the SB 846 Bill for the taxpayers & ratepayers of CA That Keeps Diablo Canyon
LOCATION:Senator Nancy Skinner's Office\nOakland State Building\n1515 Clay 
 St.\nOakland
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/08/29/18851800.php
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