Environmental group sues U.S. Energy Department over decision to award $1 billion to California’s last nuclear power plant

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Friends of the Earth (Friends) environmental group sued the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) on Tuesday over its January decision to award $1 billion to the last running nuclear power plant in California.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) initially submitted a license renewal for the plant last November and President Biden's financial contribution to the facility is now being challenged by Friends.

In the civil lawsuit, Friends detailed its agreement with PG&E to decommission the Diablo Canyon power plant for retirement in 2024 and 2025 in exchange for the dismissal of legal challenges against the planet's license renewal.

Now due to stage legislation extending Diablo Canyon's operations for five years, Friends is now arguing over the environmental and public safety risks that this agreement presents.

Friends claims via the lawsuit that radiation released from a reactor from earthquakes or other disasters would be catastrophic to the community around Diablo Canyon.

One representative in the suit claimed that her frequent trips to Avila Beach could be severely impacted due to the plant's negative impact on the ecosystem around the coast.

Other members claim that injury risk is significantly higher due to the continued operation of the plant with exposure to radiation as a severe medical concern across the area.

More information on this case will be provided as it becomes available.