Diablo Canyon Power Plant

The debate over California’s energy future and the role of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant continues. State regulators are pressing Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the plant’s operator, to make stronger environmental commitments.

Gianna Patchen is back with People and the Planet. This week she speaks with Kara Woodruff, a member of the Diablo Canyon decommissioning panel and the policy advisor to Senator John Laird.Then Carol Tangeman meets with Bob Revel of the Morro Bay Bird Festival.And our news correspondent, Natalia Young, talks with the SLO County Food Bank about the recent government shutdowns and how the food bank is preparing for people's needs.

Representatives from Mothers for Peace on Friday requested a public hearing before the California Coastal Commission and an analysis of all environmental risks stemming from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power facility.

The SLO County Board of Supervisors could not reach a consensus on whether to support a state bill that would loosen restrictions on nuclear power in California.

Some groups that oppose extending Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant’s license are concerned that taxpayers will be on the hook for a large chunk of a $400 million loan to keep the plant running. California lawmakers agreed to the loan earlier this week.

An environmental group alleges that PG&E is misleading the public about how much it costs to extend the life of the state’s last remaining nuclear power plant.

The future of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is under review. This week, officials met to discuss options for the site after its decommissioning.

Mothers for Peace, Friends of the Earth, and the Environmental Working Group are asking for a formal hearing to challenge Pacific, Gas and Electric's application to extend Diablo Canyon's operations for another 20 years. Board members with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will consider these arguments in deciding whether to approve the requested hearing.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied a lawsuit against the US Department of Energy that claimed the federal government failed to update safety standards at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

Anti-nuclear activists are calling on a federal court to revisit safety decisions for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County.