Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the California legislature’s vote to extend operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant:
“I’m pleased the California legislature voted last night to temporarily extend operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant for an additional five years.
“Closing Diablo Canyon would remove 18,000 gigawatt-hours from the electric grid, nearly 10 percent of California’s electricity generation. That lost production would almost certainly be replaced by much dirtier sources, jeopardizing the state’s clean energy goals and increasing the likelihood of blackouts. This threat is especially pertinent as California enters a prolonged heat wave this week that has already threatened the delivery of electricity.
“I continue to have concerns about the lack of long-term storage for spent nuclear fuel and I strongly believe we must continue our transition to green energy sources. However, I believe a short-term extension to allow California time to deploy more green energy sources that can responsibly replace nuclear energy is the right choice.
“As chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, I look forward to working with the Department of Energy to ensure that federal grant funds are available to help Diablo Canyon’s continued operations.”
Source: Senator Diane Feinstein