California’s last nuclear plant to close after unanimous vote by regulators

California’s last nuclear power plant — Diablo Canyon, whose contentious birth helped shape the modern environmental movement — will close in 2025, state utility regulators decided Thursday.

The unanimous vote by the California Public Utilities Commission will likely bring an end to nuclear energy’s long history in the state, even as California fights to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that come from conventional power plants. State law forbids building more nuclear plants in California until the federal government creates a long-term solution for dealing with their waste, a goal that remains elusive despite decades of effort.

“With this decision, we chart a new energy future by phasing out nuclear power here in California,” said commission President Michael Picker. “We’ve looked hard at all the arguments, and we agree the time has come.”

High level nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain in Nevada was making slow (gubmint pace) progress in accordance with the licensing process initiated with law from the early 80’s until...

Harry Reid managed to get a lackey from his Senate staff (named Jaczko) appointed as NRC Chairman. It took a while, but this assclown managed to derail the entire process during the Ooobomma administration. Just another duly enacted law to be ignored and changed by a rogue administrator without legislation by a Dem administration.

I’m waiting for Trump to pick this up again once the bigger issues are addressed. Show Harry who wins the war (in addition to Harry’s exercise equipment) by siting and opening the repository in the absolute MIDDLE OF NOWHERE at the underground Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada. After all, it’s a desert, that’s why nobody lives there.

Regarding the onsite storage at various plants, it’s ludicrous to think that anyone could get to the radioactive contents without heavy equipment, several days, tooling, and many people. The onsite cask storage is inside a relatively small secure area, dual fences with razor wire and intrusion detection, guarded by heavily-weaponized guards.

The nuclear material itself is inside concrete bunkers, containing concrete cylinders, in turn containing a stainless steel cask with welded closure. Not to mention the fatal radiation dose to be received by anyone handling material in air by hand (these casks were originally loaded remotely underwater).

The waste in those casks is perfectly safe in those locations in that configuration for the near term, but it does not belong there for the long term (many years after shutdown and full decommissioning of the accompanying nuclear power plant).

BTW, the Harry’s staff assclown who derailed the NRC licensing process experienced a mutiny of the other NRC Commissioners some years later they said they couldn’t work with him. He resigned, probably smiling because his mission was complete, to “save” Nevada at Harry’s direction. I wonder how much cash he pocked for this corrupt act...

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