PG&E’s Voluntary $16 Million Payment To SLO County Nullifies Need For Current Legislation

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - Leaders of San Luis Obispo County are joining a state senator in celebrating a milestone agreement with PG&E.

The agreement is regarding operations at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

PG&E will be voluntarily paying San Luis Obispo County $16 million over the next two years, to begin mitigating community impacts of the nuclear power plant’s extended operations.

In 2016 a plan was made to shut Diablo Canyon down entirely by 2025, retiring one reactor at a time over the course of several months.

That plan changed in 2022 with Senate Bill 846, extending the plant’s operation through 2030.

That extension created massive funding gaps for impact mitigation at local schools and public services, which had been counting on the 2025 shutdown.

In January of this year, state senator for District 17 John Laird introduced Senate Bill 931 to ensure these impacts were given funding for mitigation.

In April, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the renewal of Diablo Canyon’s license for 20 more years, up through 2045.

State law only authorizes the plant to operate through 2030, and changes would need to be legislated to authorize operation after 2030.

PG&E has specified that this $16 million mitigation package is being provided entirely out of corporate shareholder funds, and neither taxpayers nor rate payers are being held responsible.

There is still a funding gap for the remaining three years of the plant’s operation, and Senator Laird says he and his team won’t rest until that gap is filled.

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