A coalition of six cities including the cities of San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, and Pismo Beach (“Coalition of Cities”) took an unprecedented step today to protect the interests of their residents by asking the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) to require Pacific Gas and Electric to (PG&E) address the needs of our local communities in the proposed application (“Joint Proposal”) to close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
In June, PG&E announced that it would not seek to renew its license for the plant, with the intention to completely close it in 2025. The planned closure is contingent upon the approval of the CPUC.
It is noteworthy that the Coalition of Cities is not opposing the proposed closure, but is advocating for PG&E to be a model corporate citizen to support the orderly transition and regional economic stability for the surrounding region.
As a result, the six cities came together to form a Coalition of Cities to ensure that final approvals related to the closure will mitigate the adverse effects the shutter will have on the county’s economy, environment and emergency preparedness and response. The Coalition of Cities is asking the CPUC and PG&E to ensure the continued safe operation of the plant; foster creative solutions to lessen the negative impacts associated with the long-term storage of nuclear waste at the site; investigate and support implementation of job creation and economic diversification strategies; develop a plan to address the potential long-term impacts of closing a nuclear facility; and explore options for the future use of existing facilities, protection of land and marine resources, cultural resources, historic sites and desalinated water.
The members of the Coalition of Cities represent key stakeholders in the closure of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant as it is the largest private employer in County and has an annual economic impact to the region of approximately $1 billion. The Coalition of Cities has continuing appreciation for employees who have safely operated the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
The Coalition of Cities is taking a proactive role on behalf of their citizens to make sure that issues affecting local communities are addressed by the CPUC and PG&E as part of the legal process to review and approve the Joint Proposal.
The mayors of each of the six cities – Jan Marx (San Luis Obispo); Shelly Higginbotham (Pismo Beach); Steven W. Martin (Paso Robles); Tom O’Malley (Atascadero); Jamie Irons (Morro Bay); and Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Harmon (Arroyo Grande) – issued a statement stressing the need for PG&E to help their communities adapt to the closure:
“Today’s filing marks an important action for our communities, as we have a long-term, vested interest in the safety of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, as well as future uses of land and other resources, such as desalinated water,” the mayors said. “We must have a voice in the process to ensure that these issues, along with the short- and long-term economic impacts, are addressed in a fair and equitable way. These are critical issues for our communities now and for many years to come. The Coalition of Cities looks forward to working collectively and closely with PG&E to best represent the interests of our communities.”
In addition to filing a request with the CPUC, the coalition is seeking an independent, third-party economic and fiscal impact analysis of the closure so it can be better prepared – with verifiable data – to discuss the aftermath of the plant’s closure, including economic impact and recovery efforts.
Speaking on behalf of the staff from the Coalition of Cities, Katie Lichtig, San Luis Obispo City Manager said, “The Coalition of Cities took this strong and historic action to protect the health and safety of our residents, support the economic vitality of our communities in the aftermath of the plant’s closure and defend the quality of life in our communities.” Lichtig added, “This collective action is particularly important given that spent nuclear waste will be in our backyards for the foreseeable future. I have high hopes that PG&E wants to help our communities prosper and thrive after the closure, just as they have done since the decision to place Diablo Canyon Power Plant in its current location many decades ago and just as our communities have supported PG&E’s success.”
According to PG&E’s filing, the CPUC is scheduled to consider the application this Fall with a final decision by June 2017. While PG&E did briefly meet with the City of San Luis Obispo this week, the Coalition of Cities decided to pursue the filing with the CPUC to ensure that our communities are considered in this process. The short time frame proposed by PG&E for public hearings and a decision was a key factor behind today’s action to work together to safeguard our communities. City Manager Lichtig affirmed the Coalition of Cities’ interest in working productively and constructively to address the Coalition of Cities’ concerns when she stated, “We look forward to working through the CPUC process and with PG&E in the coming months to identify long term commitments that can truly address the totality of impacts to our communities.”