Diablo Canyon supporters rally in SLO to keep nuclear power plant open


Kaytlyn Leslie, Laura Dickinson
Sat, December 4, 2021, 

More than 100 people gathered in downtown San Luis Obispo on Saturday to voice their support for keeping California’s last remaining nuclear power plant open.

Supporters held a “Save Clean Energy” rally in front of the San Luis Obispo County Government Center on Monterey Street at 11 a.m., shouting their support for keeping Diablo Canyon open.

Speakers included SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Isabelle Boemeke, founder of the Save Clean Energy group.

At one point, participants paraded a miniature blimp down Monterey Street. It was designed to represent the one ton of carbon dioxide.

According to a flyer for the event, the Saturday rally was to express support for keeping open the state’s “largest single producer of clean energy.”

Stephen Williams of Santa Cruz sported a Diable Canyon hat. A “Save Clean Energy” rally held on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in San Luis Obispo called for keeping Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open.

“We cannot afford to take a step backwards in our fight to save the planet,” the flyer read. “Join us as we rally to save this essential source of zero-emissions energy.”

The nuclear power plant is set to shutter in 2025 when the final license for nuclear reactors expires.

The rally was being held in the wake of a new push to keep the plant open. A Stanford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology report released in November claimed keeping Diablo Canyon open for 10 years beyond its expected closure would drastically help the state meet its clean energy goals.

After the report was released, government officials — both local and national — have voiced support for keeping the plant open.

PG&E however, has repeatedly said it does not plan to reverse course on decommissioning the plant.

EXPROPRIATE PG&E NATIONALIZE IT UNDER WORKERS CONTROL

Isabelle Boemeke, founder of the Save Clean Energy group, spoke at a rally to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant from closing, on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in San Luis Obispo.

SLO County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg spoke at the “Save Clean Energy” rally held on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in San Luis Obispo. It called for keeping Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open.

Isabelle Boemeke is founder of the Save Clean Energy group that held a rally to keep Diablo Canyon from closing, on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in San Luis Obispo.

A “Save Clean Energy” rally held on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in San Luis Obispo called for keeping Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open.