Symon, E. S. E. V., & California Globe. (2020, March 7). New Assembly Bill Could Save Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Retrieved from https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/new-assembly-bill-could-save-diablo-canyon-nuclear-power-plant/

 

Nuclear power is coming close to an end in California. Recently, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham is trying to pass Assembly Bill 2898 which would help classify nuclear power as a renewable resource. This is essential for PG&E who are already struggling with meeting the lowered carbon emission goals by 2030. Nuclear power would prove to be a valuable asset in lowering emissions. California’s energy consumption was about 19% which has dropped to half that since San Onofre was closed back in 2012. Still California’s consumption is about a third of fossil fuels which isn’t really reaching for our goals. Many people want the Diablo Canyon reactor to close down as they believe there are better renewable ways and too many risks associated with running these large plants.

This hits close to home, sort of. For all I know, some of the power charging my computer could be coming from this power station at Diablo Canyon. I have read a lot of fear mongering based arguments that rely heavily on past accidents. Of course there is always a concern of a large scale ‘mess up’ happening which is no joke with nuclear power. Since starting the unit on trash, I wonder where all of this nuclear waste is being driven too; it’s going somewhere far away and the waste produced usually is other heavy metals that tend to leak out of their containers. With correct regulation and close monitoring, nuclear power could be more helpful than we realize in lowering emissions, while also giving us more time to develop other renewables.