By Jamie Reno, originally posted May 13, 2013

May 18, 2013 (San Diego) – In a rather unexpected rejection of Southern California Edison’s efforts to restart the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant north of San Diego, the Atomic Safety Licensing Board (ASLB) ruled today that the two reactors can not go back online before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) holds a formal license amendment proceeding with full public participation.

A three-judge panel of the ASLB granted a petition from Friends of the Earth, an environmental organization, asking the NRC to require Edison to undergo a license amendment process before a judge, including public hearings, sworn testimony from expert witnesses and rules of evidence.

February 14, 2013 (San Diego) – In a letter sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on February 8, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner urged denial of Southern California Edison’s request to restart Unit 2 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station for five months at 70% as a test to see if similar problems that caused failure of a steam generator at Unit 3 would occur.

Mayor Filner stated bluntly, “The NRC has previously determined that both Unit 2 and Unit 3 steam generators had similar serious design flaws and errors in the computer models used for design. The restart of Unit 2, even at reduced power, is a dangerous experiment that threatens the safety of the 8.2 million Southern California residents living within a 50-mile radius, including much of San Diego.”

Safety Advocates to Rally and Hold Press Conference before Public Meeting on San Onofre nuclear facility Feb. 12 in Capistrano



Feb 11, 2012 (San Onofre)– Experts and oversight groups say they are astonished by the proposal by Southern California Edison to restart the Unit 2 reactor and run it at 70% capacity, putting millions of residents at risk of another emergency shutdown and radioactivity release to the environment, or worse.

A rally and press conference in opposition to restarting the San Onofre nuclear plant will be held at 4:00 p.m., Feb. 12, just prior to the 6:00 p.m. public meeting conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at the Capo Beach Church, 25975 Domingo Avenue, Capistrano Beach, California.

Edison and the NRC are facing challenges to restart from a number of directions:

By Jamie Reno

January 26, 2013 (San Diego) – The operator of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California made critical errors in the design of the plant's replacement steam generators and, as a result, the public was put in great danger last year, according to expert testimony Wednesday by an internationally renowned nuclear engineer at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) hearing.

The chilling testimony, which was presented to the NRC Petitions Review Board, was accompanied by evidence showing that plant operator Southern California Edison should have been required to go through a license amendment process before installing the new steam generators in 2009 and 2010.

http://therenodispatch.blogspot.com/2013/01/design-flaws-at-california-n...

December 12, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• Arson frightens Rancho San Diego family (U-T San Diego)
• The fall of the Union-Tribune (Media Matters)
• Tree-trimming, electric contactors pay $370 million for 2007 wildfires U-T San Diego)
• APNewsBreak: Dispute over records at [San Onofre] nuclear plant  (U-T San Diego)
• Prop R leaves Ramona schools with no plan B (U-T San Diego)
• Congressman Darrell Issa’s home burglarized (KUSI)
• Natural medical school is latest development in growing trend (U-T San Diego)
• Lemon Grove city hours revamped (U-T San Diego)
• El Cajon Boulevard changes precursor to revitalization regionwide (U-T San Diego)
• La Mesa man’s 459 pound tuna biggest of all time? (U-T San Diego)
• Planning group listens to residents, votes against evacuation lighting (Ramona Patch)

STATE

• New UC logo a no go with students and alumni (Los Angeles Times)
• Renewed call for probe of Wildlife Services (Sacramento Bee)
• Senator Gaines introduces bill to repeal fire tax (Lakeside News)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

October 25, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• Scout files show abuse in county (U-T San Diego)
• La Mesa ready to allow beer and wine-making (U-T San Diego)
• U.S. to study cancer risk near San Onofre nuclear plant (KPBS)
• Appeals court deals another blow to sprawling Fanita Ranch project (Santee Patch)
• DeMaio once attacked tax hike he now champions (Voice of San Diego)
• U-T San Diego publishes questionable poll in mayoral race (LGTB Times/Free Press)
• California woman survives car bombing, husband’s double life (ABC)
• Another DeMaio scandal: U.S. attorney Laura Duffy (LGTB Weekly)
• San Vicente Dam reaches full height (FoxCT)

STATE

• California has lowered number of uninsured children (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown accuses anti-tax group of illegal money laundering (Sacramento Bee)
• Medical pot growers ravage state forest habitat (Sacramento Bee)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

September 27, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

• County hires planning director from bankrupt city (UT)
• Census: El Cajon Has Highest Poverty Rates In San Diego County (KPBS)
• Blaze roared through quiet community like a freight train (UT San Diego)
• Turko tackles Alpine Boulevard construction woes (KUSI)
• Judicial race pits establishment against Tea Party (North CountyTimes)
• Will San Onofre outage mean relief for ratepayers? (UT San Diego)
• Pattern Energy: The bad stuff just goes on and on (Hawaii Free Press)
• Prolific disabled access lawyer to be disbarred (UT)
• San Diego’s median income drops (Fox 5)
• Pensions fall well below 80% funding level (UT San Diego)
• Could bullying be behind Ramona boy’s suicide? (10 News)

STATE

• Watchdog group faults states’ inspection of oil, gas wells (Los Angeles Times)
• Jerry Brown signs two-year reprieve for state parks (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown signs bill allowing same-day voter registration (Sacramento Bee)
• Gov. Brown signs 18 bills to help veterans, families (Sacramento Bee)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

July 11, 2012 (San Diego) – The Sustainability Alliance of Southern California is holding discussion of nuclear power in Southern California on July 12 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, 8690 Balboa Ave., Suite 100, San Diego.  The presenters are Rochelle Becker, Executive Director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility and John Geesman, Former Executive Director and Commissioner of the California Energy Commission.

• A Q&A on San Miguel’s situation
• Tony Gwynn joins group seeking to buy Padres (10 News)
• San Onofre future hinges on finding cause of abnormal tube wear (Sacramento Bee)
• San Diego ranked least expensive city in state to do business (10 News)
• La Mesa may welcome wineries and breweries (UT San Diego)
• La Mesa Village Development (La Mesa Today)
• No option at all! (for condo/apartment residents with multiple smart meters) (KUSI Turko Files)
• Walmart Neighborhood Market planned for La Mesa
• Countywide water rates could rise nearly 10% (UT San Diego)
• Grossmont baseball coach Jim Earley quits amid parent accusations (La Mesa Patch)
• Wounded officer asked `Is this my time?’ (UT San Diego)

• CA Senate passes bill for self-driving cars (Los Angeles Times)
• CA Senate passes bill that limits salaries at CSU (Sacramento Bee)
• California Democrats balk at deeper cuts for state’s poorest residents (Sacramento Bee)
• Purple Super Pac launched to support registered Independents (Sacramento Bee)
• U-T: State Plans Big Changes To Testing, Instruction

• Strong majority backs Jerry Brown’s tax initiative (LA Times)
• Judge tentatively rules for California in school funding suit (Sacramento Bee)
• Mitt Romney announces California team (Sacramento Bee)
• Beekeepers ask EPA to ban pesticide (Sacarmento Bee)
• Solyndra times seven (City Journal)

• Feds: San Onofre to remain shut down indefinitely (UT San Diego)
• El Cajon Council fills vacancy (UT San Diego)
• Is prison realignment working in San Diego? (KPBS)
• Defendant rolls on Sweetwater Board member (UT San Diego)

2 Fukushima-area residents to tell stories; celebrities to join rally

Update March 12:  View a video of the rally www.youtube.com/watch

Video: Fukushim survivors speak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWKHtIUqnOQ&feature=email

March 9, 2012 (SAN ONOFRE) – Activists from San Diego to Eureka will converge at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS,) just south of San Clemente, on the first anniversary of the devastating Fukushima disaster, March 11, 2012. The peaceful protest will occur a short walk from San Onofre State Beach about 1/8 mile south of the SONGS facility.

Update 6:45 p.m. --  San Onofre has cancelled the alert issued earlier and now reports that its onsite emergency response team has contained the release and cleaned up hazardous material at the unit following an ammonia leak. The leak had no impact on radioactive material or cooling units.  

Plumbing union expert involved with installation of piping and ammonia monitoring system at plant speaks with ECM

Nuclear Regulatory Hearing April 28 on San Onofre safety

By Helen Villines
Editor Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

“What if you had just 15 minutes to evacuate, looking around your apartment or house, trying to quickly decide what you will take, how overwhelmed would you be – knowing you couldn’t return for ten thousand years?” he asks.

“The most inexpensive way to meet your SQ (seismic qualification) is to lie. The industry does it all the time.”

--Greg Palast, former lead investigator in  government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations

By Miriam Raftery
 

March 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) –Catastrophic failures at a half dozen nuclear facilities in Fukushima, Japan has led to questions regarding the safety of nuclear reactors in America-- both existing facilities and new ones proposed—including some designed or operated by the same companies responsible for the nuclear meltdowns in Japan.