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Campaign for Safe Energy

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT— Geologists discovered a shoreline fault in 2008, just 1,800 feet from the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo. CALPIRG is calling on state officials to develop a plan for the orderly retirement of our plants and replacing their energy with cleaner, safer sources.

HEEDING THE LESSONS OF FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

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.

Issue updates

Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

The High Cost of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is among the most costly approaches to solving America’s energy problems. Per dollar of investment, clean energy solutions – such as energy efficiency and renewable resources – deliver far more energy than nuclear power. This fact has important implications for America’s energy policy. By directing resources toward the most cost-effective solutions, we can make greater progress toward a secure, reliable and safe supply of electricity to power America’s economy.

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Safe Energy

The Campus Credit Card Trap:

College students are among the most prominent targets for this marketing.   They are young and understand that they need credit to get ahead in the world. Some need credit because of the rising cost of a college education. Finally, most of them are clumped together on campuses that they either commute to or live at. This makes them easy to target.

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Report | CALPIRG Education Fund | Safe Energy

Challenging Nuclear Power in the States

Capitalizing on rising energy prices, growing concern about global warming, and a favorable political climate, the nuclear industry is working to achieve a “nuclear renaissance.” After 30 years without a single new order for a nuclear power plant in the U.S., several companies are now in the early stages of proposing new nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, federal officials have begun routinely approving requests to run existing nuclear plants harder and longer than ever.

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Tell the California Public Utilities Commission to make us safer by rejecting nuclear power plants' requests to extend their operating licenses.

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