Ten California lawmakers asked the federal government to convene a meeting on earthquakes’ affect on nuclear power plants--two weeks prior to the Japanese nuclear disasters. The senators and assemblymembers invited the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future to hold a meeting in California on seismic issues. They invoked the discovery of yet another new fault running underneath the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant owned by Pacific Gas & Electric. “An intersection of the faults could significantly alter previously held assumptions about potential seismic activity and threat to Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant,” according to the legislators. “Diablo Canyon and San Onofre present unique logistical challenges regarding the long-term, on-site storage of nuclear waste,” they added. The lawmakers--including Senator Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo)--voiced their concerns in a letter to the commission on Feb. 25.
