The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is the last nuclear power plant operating in California, located in San Luis Obispo County on the coast. Pacific Gas & Electric (“PG&E”) owns the plant and the surrounding lands. In 2016, PG&E decided to forgo license renewal efforts and announced plans to close the power plant at the expiration of its existing licenses. Those licenses are set to expire in 2024 and 2025. The California Legislature authorized PG&E to operate the power plant for up to five additional years. However, decommissioning plans are moving forward, and, in July 2023, the County published a Draft Environmental Impact Report (“DEIR”) that describes the project plans, the project’s potential impacts to the environment and community, and mitigation strategies to address those impacts.
Throughout its history, the power plant site has raised coastal access concerns for the community and coastal advocates. The site is approximately seven miles northwest of Avila Beach and comprises a 750-acre high-security zone, surrounded by 12,000 acres of land owned by either PG&E or its subsidiary, Eureka Energy. Previous development permits required limited coastal access through the Pecho Coast and Rattlesnake Canyon Trails. Those trails provide access to about 7.3 miles of the 15 mile shoreline of the Diablo Lands. Yet, due to the security requirements, there is virtually no access to the remaining 7.9 miles of shoreline, and approximately 1 nautical mile (2,000 yards) of the coastal waters offshore.
Decommissioning the plant will change the security requirements, likely leading to the elimination of some of the security requirements altogether. Consequently, the DEIR proposes the creation of a permanent Diablo Lands Connector Trail to increase coastal access in the area. At this point, the specific location of the trail is undefined, but the DEIR explains the mandatory trail identification and development process. The DEIR makes clear that the Connecter Trail would be permanent.
Surfrider’s San Luis Obispo Chapter has been keeping a close eye on activities at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant for several years, and supports the creation of a permanent Connector Trail. Most recently, Surfrider signed on to a comment letter with several other organizations in response to the DEIR. The letter advocates for requiring PG&E to take on more of the financial burden to dedicate and manage the Connector Trail. The letter also recommends the creation of conservation easements nearby, and more measures to ensure radiological waste is handled safely. Surfrider also submitted its own comment letter asking for more detailed findings about the project and more assurances that temporary access impacts would be adequately mitigated. Surfrider will continue monitoring Diablo Canyon Power Plant decommissioning activities. The final EIR is expected in early 2024.