Pacific Gas and Electric, owners of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant n San Louis Obispo County near Los Angeles, have met a legal challenge with a verdict in an California appeals court that will permit continued leasing of the property on which the plant sits.
An environment group, World Business Academy, had challenged the legality of the lease, contesting the point that no environmental review was done before the lease was extended. The California Lands Commission in 2016 allowed PG&E to sign the lease without the lengthy review process, despite the group's claim that evidence of earthquake threats warranted the inclusion of a new environmental review..
The state's Second District Court of Appeal this week rejected the claim that the environmental review was required. PG&E has already announced plans to close the plant down n 2025, the Associated Press reported.