Failed San Onofre Nuclear Plant to Close, Persistent Protest Pays Off

Photo © 2010 Darrell Clarke, courtesy Sierra Club Library

June 7, 2013 – A red letter day in Southern California as Edison International announces the closure of the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) near San Clemente, California.

Thousands of Sierra Club activists joined many environmental organizations to protest the request by Edison for a partial restart of one nuclear generator, and the quick approval process by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for their request.  We will post reactions of many of those activists and organizations throughout the day.

Read the full statement released today by Edison international..
 

Glenn Pascall, chair of the San Onofre Task Force:

The credit for this victory should be widely shared, and we did our part. I believe we correctly sensed that the key point was to prevent a restart based on fast-track approval by the NRC, which was unjustified in any event. A full process was not only called for, but could be expected to force Edison's hand - as it has done.

Even Ted Craver, Chairman and CEO of Edison International, states in their press release "… the continuing uncertainty about when or if SONGS might return to service was not good for our customers, our investors, or the need to plan for our region’s long-term electricity needs.”  
He only reinforces the arguments we have been making for more than a year, including Reason #10 in the Twelve Reasons to Retire San Onofre fact sheet distributed by our task force: 
"Rear-guard action to keep the plant going neglects development of forward-looking alternatives to meet regional energy demands."
 

Sierra Club Angeles Chapter News Release: Protests Prevail: Southern California Edison (SCE) Gives Up Efforts to Restart San Onofre Nuclear Plant

Kathryn Phillips, Director of Sierra Club California  responds to the announcement of the plant’s closure:

“Southern California  Edison ’s  decision  to close this cranky, unpredictable and potentially very  dangerous power plant is smart for  its  bottom line, smart for ratepayers, and smart for the  environment. “

For more than 40 years, many Californians who live in the broad ly cast shadow of this plant have had to worry that something might go wrong — just as something went terribly wrong at the  plant in Fukushima, Japan more than two years ago. Finally closing this plant is the beginning of the end of the uncertainty.

“Tons of nuclear waste have been generated and stored on site, and dealing with that will be a necessary challenge for the plant’s owners. In an era of climate change and impending sea level rise, and in an earthquake active state, it will be doubly important to make sure this waste doesn’t do future damage.

“As the utilities look to grow in the future, they now have better choices than they had 40 years ago. Solar, wind and other renewable energy technology have advanced dramatically in that time.  We hope, especially, that the utilities will take this opportunity to help get more locally generated renewable energy, such as rooftop solar, into their portfolios.”

Sierra Club California Press Release: Closure of San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant is Great News for California

Read more about the protest activities of the San Onofre Task Force on our website and on Facebook.