Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham says he plans to introduce a bill that could keep Diablo Canyon Power Plant operational.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) plans to shut down the nuclear power plant near Avila Beach by 2025.
Cunningham's bill would:
- Classify nuclear power as a renewable under the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard
- Mandate that California's Public Utility Commission not approve a PG&E bankruptcy or settlement plan that does not include a plan to continue operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant
- Mandate that no less than $1 billion of the proceeds of any sale of the Diablo Canyon plant shall be earmarked to pay fire victims
- Mandate that no less than $300 million of any proceeds of the Diablo Canyon sale shall be spent on hardening the electrical grid to help prevent catastrophic wildfires
"Californians deserve an all-of-the-above approach to fighting climate change. Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, an emission-free source of electricity that supplies the state with nine percent of its power, needs to be a part of the answer," Cunningham said in a statement released Friday.
Cunningham plans to introduce the bill when the legislative year starts in January.
KSBY News reached out to PG&E for comment but has not yet heard back.
In August, Cunningham introduced a bill that would qualify nuclear power as a renewable energy source. At that time, PG&E said the proposal did not change the company's plan to decommission the plant.
