PUC urged to deny San Onofre Permit

Activists are urging the California Public Utilties Commission to put the kibosh on plans to update the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant in Southern California:

Environmentalists and others concerned about California's energy future urged state regulators on Tuesday to reject a $680-million plan to replace deteriorating steam generators at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

During a public hearing in Oceanside, the majority of speakers told representatives of the California Public Utilities Commission that the massive undertaking should be scrapped in favor of conservation programs and development of alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar power.

"I can't see how it's ethical to replace the steam generators," said Steve Beckham, a Lutheran minister from Riverside. "If we go to renewable sources, we will be buying our own future. If we don't, we will be buying our own demise."

Southern California Edison, which operates San Onofre in northern San Diego County, plans to replace four steam generators that serve two reactors. In another proposal pending before the PUC, Pacific Gas & Electric has asked permission to install eight new steam generators at Diablo Canyon, north of San Luis Obispo, for an estimated $706 million.

The PUC, a five-member panel, must determine whether the projects are beneficial to the utilities and their customers. Its decision, expected this year, could determine the fate of nuclear power in California.