A local activist group, Mothers for Peace (MFP), led a rally aimed to shut down Diablo Nuclear Power Plant at the Avila Pier on April 16.
Amidst normal beachgoers enjoying the sun, warmth and even a wedding, the group of rally participants crowded around a makeshift stage, outfitted with speakers and microphones on the sidewalk and beach in Avila.
The protestors’ signs read, “Fukushima Dai-ich is Japanese for Diablo” and “Children Not Chernobyl.” The rally members peacefully protested Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) attempt to relicense Diablo operations for an additional 20 years beyond its original operation contract — extending it from 2024 and 2025 to 2044 and 2045. They also protested for shutting down the plant.
Dan Roser, a longtime advocate against nuclear power, said although some of his family members work at the plant, he still wants it to be shut down. Roser said he also participated in a 1974 MFP rally, at which he was arrested.
“One of my best life experiences was getting arrested,” Roser said. “I don’t believe in nuclear power, never have.”
MFP is a nonprofit organization that began in 1969 after a mother expressed her distaste for the Vietnam War. In 1973, the group became more centered against nuclear power and Diablo’s licensing by filing to become an intervenor — a group who isn’t directly involved with an organization but has been granted permission by the court to legally give their input on judicial matters.
Liz Afelberg, one of the MFP members who filed to be an intervenor, said the group decided to apply to fight against PG&E’s initial want for an operating license.
“We went to the Mothers and said, ‘Okay, what can we do?’” Afelberg said. “We can go to meetings and voice our opinion, we can write letters, but really, it’s not going to do anything. (We) read in the Atomic Energy Commission bulletin that individuals that met certain criteria could file to be what’s called an intervenor … so we filed.”
The group also attended a San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting, urging county leaders to tell PG&E to delay its relicensing procedures until a seismic study is done. The board agreed and sent a letter to PG&E expressing its concerns.
San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx said the city agrees with the county board, especially because of Diablo’s age and the unknown potential damage of an earthquake could have on the plant, which is near at least two fault lines.
“I would like to see the license renewal process abandoned,” Marx said. “The community was promised three things when the project was built: one, it would be safe; two, they would figure out what to do with spent fuel rods. They would not be stored on-site forever, that was only temporary. And three, at some point it would be decommissioned, when the license expired.”
Afelberg said Diablo’s age also concerns her, noting that PG&E may not be able to sustain the maintenance it takes, especially with spent fuel rods stored on site. In addition, she said past nuclear catastrophes and weather disasters should also raise concerns about Diablo’s safety.
One such disaster occurred in 1812 when a tsunami approximately 35 feet in height ravaged Santa Barbara, as well as a smaller tsunami that hit in 1927. Also taken into consideration are nuclear disasters such as the 1979 meltdown of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.
The meltdown did not cause any injuries or death but did send radioactive gases and waste into the environment. Situations, such as the overheating of the Boeing-Rocketdyne nuclear facility 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles in 1959, have caused a release of radioactive iodine that residents believe caused cancer.
Betty Faas, a local who attended the rally, said concerns over the nuclear power plants’ safety with the list of past — and more recently with Fukushima — disasters drive her to be against them, especially with the highly dangerous fuel, Plutonium, used.
“Anything that is not insurable — and nuclear power is not insurable — is not safe,” Faas said. “We can’t afford the long-term cost, period.”
Rally participants also raised concerns over the spent waste pools at Diablo, which some said prove to be even more dangerous.
Jane Swanson, a speaker at the event and another longtime MFP advocate, said because waste stays radioactive for an extended period of time, it is especially unsafe.
“(Radioactive waste) is lethal for a quarter of a million years,” Swanson said. “Now, I’m not personally aware of a human institution that’s gone on for a quarter of a million years, so the folly of creating radioactive waste is it’s going to be here forever as a pollutant.”
With the proximity of Diablo to the Cal Poly campus, Swanson said students should be aware of its dangers and even participate in the action against nuclear power. She said MFP is happy to present information to campus clubs for those wishing to know more about its efforts.
Afelberg said another concern for college students and San Luis Obispo residents is the lack of evacuation planning for those near the plant.
“The plant says to stay on site, put duct tape around the windows and stay there until you die,” Afelberg said. “But there’s no way to evacuate this community. Some might be able to get out to Highway 1, but Highway 1 is closed.”
Swanson said she was happy people of different ages and sexes attended the rally, because it showed the yearning for safer, more renewable energy, such as wind and solar, stretches across generations. Also, she said all the participants were “mothers,” no matter the gender or “biology,” because of their values — “caring, nurturing, and working to provide a safe environment for future generations.”
As for PG&E’s plans to renew the license, it was agreed to delay the renewal until seismic tests are done; however, PG&E will still pursue a renewal. Marx said the company is doing the renewal and seismic studies concurrently. Yet, if the studies prove Diablo is unsafe, Marx said she hopes PG&E and Diablo officials would decommission the plant immediately.
“It is unclear in an earthquake what would happen to (coastal) bluffs,” Marx said. “I think we need more scientific information right now.”
Afelberg said, in addition, people should become more educated and get their own scientific information before more nuclear projects are invested in.
“There are some that have new licenses and some that have all kinds of renewal licenses and ones for modification,” Afelberg said. “All of those should be stopped until all the lessons from Japan are learned.”