Fresno Group Backs Nuclear Power Plant Initiative
California Assembly member Chuck Devore, R-Irvine filed an initiative to lift the state’s 1976 ban on building nuclear power plants. California banned building new nuclear plants until the federal government finds a way to permanently dispose of nuclear waste.
Devore is trying to get the initiative on the June 2008 ballot. The initiative is backed by the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group LLC. The Fresno Nuclear Energy Group, which launched December 2006, is headed by John Hutson. The other members of the group include the Chief Executive of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Al Smith, businessmen Dick Caglia and Richard Egan, owner of Lyons Magus, Bob Smittcamp, bay area contractor Tom McClean, and M. Aslam Lone, Ph.D.
The Fresno Nuclear Energy Group signed a letter of intent with UniStar Nuclear Development Group LLC. According to UniStar’s website the company’s mission is “to explore the viability of building a community-owned nuclear power plant to support our area’s economic, environmental, and growing energy needs and to help curb our Nation’s dependence on foreign oil.”
Although green house gas emissions are not generated from the use of nuclear energy, methane is released during uranium mining. Methane has a warming effect 23 times greater than carbon. The process of enriching uranium is energy intensive. Both the construction and operation of nuclear plants results in carbon emissions.
Nuclear energy supplies only 12.9% of energy in California, according to a 2006 report by California Energy Commission. Renewables, including solar power, only provide 10.9%. Only two nuclear power plants exist in CA: San Onofre in southern California and Diablo Canyon near San Luis Obispo.
The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility (ARC) is an anti-nuclear group. The ARC posted a link on their website to a petition which requests the U.S. congress to “investigate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” According to the Alliance the NRC wants to build “as many as 50 new nuclear plants with adequate consideration of important safety issues.”
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