Dr. Conca reported in 2016 that now that many environmentalists and climate scientists have realized that nuclear energy is essential for addressing global warming, a coalition of environmental groups is sponsoring a multi-day March for Environmental Hope in California in support of nuclear power. Starting on June 24th (2016) in San Francisco, people will march from San Francisco to Sacramento to protest the potential closing of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant which, together with the recent closing of the San Onofre nuclear plant in southern California, would completely wipe out all progress in clean energy made by the state with unreliable and inefficient wind and solar power.
In 2015, all wind energy in California only produced 12 billion kWhs. The two Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors produce 17 billion kWhs every year, and will for the next 20 years if not prematurely closed for political reasons. In response to that political pressure, plant owner, PG an E, just announced that they will close the plant in 2025, saying they will replace it with renewables, although it is uncertain how they could do that in such a short time. Most likely, they will try to buy renewable power from out-of-state, or ramp up natural gas.
The real adverse impact will be to the local community. Diablo Canyon employs nearly 1,500 workers and has a $920 million annual impact on the local economy. It is San Luis Obispo County largest private industry employer, with an average annual salary of $136,561 in 2011, according to a 2013 Cal Poly study. The environmental organizations Mothers for Nuclear, Save Diablo Canyon, Environmental Progress, Californians for Green Nuclear Power and Thorium Energy Alliance are leading this historic pro-nuclear protest. Environmental Progress group estimates that the percentage of electricity generated by clean energy sources is on the decline world wide. Fossil fuel plants are on the rise globally, natural gas in the U.S., coal and gas in other parts of the world.
Re-Directed URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/06/21/pro-nuclear-march-from-san-francisco-to-sacramento-on-june-24th/#4228fd2a6da4
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
