California’s legislature on Wednesday approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to extend the life of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant to five years, following a warning that the state could face power outages if its dual reactors were phased out too soon.
The Democratic governor has no direct authority over the license to operate the Diablo Canyon force plant, which sits on a cliff above the middle of the Pacific between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Vote paves way for Pacific Gas operator
“I’m not a fan of the Diablo Canyon strength plant. But I’m all for keeping the lights on,” Democratic Assemblyman Chris Holden said as he advocated for a bill amid a triple-digit heatwave straining the state. force grid.
Without the plant, nine million Californians would have their power grids down, Republican Congressman Jim Patterson warned in an occasional settlement with Newsom.
“If we don’t, we’ll have to explain to our electorate why our foolish decisions have created cases where they’re forced to live in a state where they can’t use their air conditioner,” he said.
The app will need to download approval from the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The U. S. department of power to continue generating electric power beyond 2025, when its license expires, and PG
If that federal cash doesn’t arrive, and some critics believe the plant may not be eligible, the state could simply pull out of the deal.
The result had a symbolic weight in the cradle of the fashionable environmental movement. The question was whether the nuclear force would be followed as part of a strategy to keep the luminaires on and control emerging temperatures, despite the high-level radioactive waste it leaves. without a permanent deposit to buy it. The debate also revived long-standing consultations on seismic protection at the site.
The proposal passed smoothly by the state legislature, with more than two-thirds of the state meeting and the Senate vote right after to send the bill to Newsom. Republican Sen. Brian Dahle, who is Newsom’s opponent in the November election, said he would not vote for the bill because it would raise rates for electric power customers.
“I’m not going to increase California rates at each and every level,” Dahle said. “I’m not going to rescue the governor. “
The vote preceded days of intense pressure from environmentalists seeking to have the plant shut down on time and industry-related equipment that subsidized Newsom’s board for an extended lifespan.
On Wednesday, the governor appealed to hesitant lawmakers and union members who supported a longer race approached members of the Senate and Assembly on Capitol Hill.
Newsom first floated the concept of a longer reactor life in April. Its management has argued that Diablo Canyon’s electric power is imperative to avoid shortages at a time when global warming is expanding demand for electric power, wildfires are incinerating power lines, and a prolonged drought has reduced hydroelectric power. An emerging tariff dispute has delayed the sun and garage projects, administration officials said.
The plan included $1. 4 billion forgivable for GN
Newsom has drawn national attention for his efforts to expand blank energy, as the state aims to reduce emissions by 40% below 1990 degrees by 2030. California installed more blank power capacity in 2021 than any other year in the state’s history, yet administration officials say reliability remains doubtful as temperatures amid climate change.
But environmentalists have said that a nuclear power plant, which frequently generates gigantic amounts of electrical power, is not a solution to filling occasional gaps in supply, such as when the sun’s force falls after sunset.
There were also considerations about the protection of the aging plant.
Construction on Diablo Canyon began in the 1960s and critics say potential tremors from nearby seismic faults not identified at the time of the design’s first approval, a nearby fault discovered only in 2008, can damage the apparatus and release radiation.
Other issues ranged from how state taxpayers might be affected, the dangers of circumventing environmental regulations, and the storage of spent nuclear fuel at the site.
An organization of Democratic lawmakers had proposed a rival plan that would boost the advancement of transmission lines and renewable energy, while leaving intact plans to close the plant until 2025.
The governor’s belated proposal represented an attempt to get to the bottom of a complex 2016 deal between PG.
Lawmakers questioned why Newsom abandoned the text of his law just days before the end of the legislature’s two-year consultation, saying he left virtually no time to analyze it carefully.
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Associated Press reporter Don Thompson contributed from Sacramento, California.
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