Campaign for Safe Energy

The nuclear crisis in Japan should serve as a sobering reminder of our own vulnerability to earthquakes in California and the inherently dangerous nature of nuclear power.

CALPIRG has called for a rigorous top-to-bottom safety analysis of California’s two nuclear power plants, including much better seismic studies to understand our own earthquake risks. And — since no plan exists for the safe storage of long-lasting, dangerous nuclear waste — we urged our leaders to make a plan for their timely retirement.

Unfortunately, both Southern California Edison and PG&E have dragged their feet on completing safety studies. PG&E predicts they won’t have the studies completed until 2013 at the earliest. This situation is unacceptable, particularly for the nearly 8 million Californians who live within 50 miles of these plants.

The consequences of nuclear accidents are dire. There is no known safe level of exposure to radiation and the levels of radiation that could escape from our reactors in the event of an accident or natural disaster are capable of harming human health.

Nuclear power is neither a safe nor a reliable energy source, and CALPIRG is working to make sure the state minimizes the risk to Californians from our existing nuclear power plants and stops construction of any new plants.

You can tell the California Public Utilities Commission to make us safer by rejecting attempts to extend their operating licenses.