Scientists, experts send letter to Governor Newsom arguing for Diablo Canyon to stay open
A former U.S. Secretary of Energy and more than 75 scientists and academics sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom today asking him to reverse the impending closure of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy during the Obama Administration, sent the letter along with experts in fields like climate science, energy and land conservation.
The advocates were assembled by a nonprofit called Save Clean Energywhich seeks to keep the power plant open.
The group cited astudyclaiming that the state is falling short in its energy goals, and that the scheduled closure of Diablo Canyon in 2025 will add significantly to that problem.
They are calling for the governor to intervene, though utility PG&E has repeatedly said the closure will move forward as scheduled.
Diablo Canyon accounts for about 10 percent of the state’s energy portfolio.
Central Coast snail species moves from “endangered” to “threatened” after major recovery
A species of snail only found in the Morro Bay and Los Osos area has reached a major milestone.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday announced it moved the Morro shoulderband snail from “endangered” to “threatened” after nearly 30 years of dangerously low numbers.
The agency said there are now thousands of the snail living in Morro Bay and Los Osos, and that their now-stable population growth is largely due to state and local protections of their habitat.
The Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement that the species’ success is another example of the Endangered Species Act at work, joining other success stories on the Central Coast like those of the California condor, snowy plover and southern sea otter.
However, the Fish and Wildlife Service also noted that the species is not completely safe from extinction, and that threats like climate change and future habitat loss still pose risks to its survival.
