Friends of the Earth, an opponent of nuclear power that fought for the permanent closure of San Onofre last year, has set its sights on California's other nuclear plant following the release of a dissenting opinion by a former resident inspector.
The group announced Tuesday that it has filed a petition to intervene and request for hearing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that seeks to shut down the Diablo Canyon plant until Pacific Gas and Electric completes further analyses related to earthquake risk. FOTE maintains that new seismic data require a license amendment for the plant's two reactors, which would involve a lengthy and expensive adjudication process. Additionally, the group announced in a release that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chaired by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer will hold a hearing on the NRC's delayed release of the inspector's dissenting opinion.
PGE and NRC staff decisions maintain that the plant is safely operating within its design basis. Following staff decisions related to new seismic data presented to the NRC in recent years, Diablo Canyon's former senior resident inspector filed a "differing professional opinion," a means by which the agency considers objections by NRC experts who find their views in the minority during technical decisions. Obtained by the Associated Press and published earlier this week, it argues that new fault data create possible earthquake scenarios that exceed the design basis of plant equipment. He maintained that, in light of the new seismic information, plant technical specifications and agency policies require a shutdown and a license amendment for the reactors.