LAW’s ‘All Things Nuclear’ #442 (11/06/2023)
“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant near Avila Beach, California owned by PG&E
LLAW’s COMMENTARY:
The above image of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant may remain as my masthead for quite sometime because it is very much like the proverbial “Canary in the Coal Mine”. I have been following PG&E’s merciless “accidental” terrorism on California’s human population throughout the State (living next door in Nevada) for several years, and this aging nuclear power plant may very well be PG&E’s last and most devastating accident of all. A nuclear accident at that! With PG&E running the ‘show’, what could possibly go wrong
The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is old, dating back to the ‘1970s, and has leaked radiation recently because of cracked containment walls. The plant is scheduled for decommissioning, shutdown, and to be mothballed in 2025, but the State of California and the Federal Government has decided to extend the old plant’s life by providing several billion dollars to ‘ensure’ it’s safety and continued operation. To me, knowing the ownership’s history, this is obviously a huge mistake on the part of both the state and the federal government.
In later Posts I will have more to say about this particular power plant and selected others around the planet. They all need to be shut down, destroyed, and part by part and piece by piece put back in the same ground where their nuclear fuel (uranium) came from.
Considering their history of ‘accidents’, neglect, and incompetence, the future possibilities could be disastrous beyond belief. What has PG&E done wrong in the past to make such a prediction? Let me count just a few of the ways of many disasters caused by PG&E. ~llaw
(Summarized, edited, and abbreviated from cited reports,)
PG&E Disasters:
1. Groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California
From 1952 to 1966, PG&E dumped “roughly 370 million gallons” of chromium 6-tainted wastewater into unlined wastewater spreading ponds around the town of Hinkley, California. PG&E used chromium “one of the cheapest and most efficient commercially available corrosion inhibitors” at their compressor station plants in their cooling towers along the natural gas transmission pipelines.
PG&E did not inform the local water board of the contamination until December 7, 1987, stalling action on a response to the contamination. The residents of Hinkley filed a successful lawsuit against PG&E in which the company paid $333 million— the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history. The legal case, dramatized in the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, became an international cause célèbre. By 2013, PG&E had cleaned up 54 acres, but it is estimated the remediation process will take another 40 years.
2. Metcalf sniper attack
(Included here for evidence of PG&E’s extended reputation of illegalites)
On April 16, 2013, a team of gunmen opened fire on the Metcalf transmission substation in Coyote, California. The attack damaged 17 high-voltage transformers, causing more than $15 million in damage. The team also cut a fiber-optic telecommunications cable owned by AT&T. PG&E and AT&T offered a $250,000 reward for anyone who had information leading to the arrest of the culprits, however, they were never found. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found that it was not domestic terrorism and The Department of Homeland Security claimed they had evidence that it may have been an ‘inside job’.
3. Wildfires
PG&E equipment has often been the cause of wildfires in California. PG&E has been found guilty of criminal negligence in many cases involving fires. These include the 1994 Trauner Fire a substation fire in San Francisco in 1996, the 1999 Pendola Fire, a San Francisco substation fire in 2003, the Sims Fire and Fred’s Fire in 2004 an explosion and electrical fire in San Francisco in 2005, the 2008 Rancho Cordova Gas Explosion,[ the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, 2014 Carmel Gas Explosion,[ 2015 Butte Fire, 2018 Camp Fire, among others.[
Approximately 40 of the 315 wildfires in PG&E’s service area in 2017 and 2018 were allegedly caused by PG&E equipment.
PG&E was on probation after being found criminally liable in the 2010 San Bruno fire. Following that fire, a federally appointed monitor initially focused on gas operations, but his scope expanded to include electricity distribution equipment following the fires in October 2017. A separate case involved allegations the utility falsified gas pipeline records between 2012 and 2017, and as of January 2019 was still being considered.
4. Wildfire Liability
State law follows a principle of “inverse condemnation” for wildfire liability, which means that utilities are held responsible for damages resulting from any fire caused by their equipment, even if their maintenance on equipment and surrounding vegetation was done to standards. This policy resulted in $30B of liability for PG&E from the 2017 & 2018 fires and drove it to bankruptcy proceedings. In July 2019, a new $21 billion wildfire trust fund was created to pay for damages from future wildfires, started with a 50-50 balance of utility and customer monies and also reduced the liability threshold for utilities to where customers must prove negligence before companies are held liable.
5. Sierra blaze
On June 19, 1997, a Nevada County jury in Nevada City found PG&E guilty of “a pattern of tree-trimming violations that sparked a devastating 1994 wildfire in the Sierra”. “PG&E was convicted of 739 counts of criminal negligence for failing to trim trees near its power lines—the biggest criminal conviction ever against the state’s largest utility.
6. San Bruno, California explosion
On the evening of September 9, 2010, a suburb of San Francisco, San Bruno, California, was damaged when one of PG&E’s natural-gas pipelines that was “at least 54 years old, 30 inches (76.2 centimeters) in diameter and located under a street intersection in a residential area “…exploded sending a “28-foot section of pipe weighing 3,000 pounds flying through the air, fueled by blowing natural gas”.[235] The blast created a crater at the epicenter and “killed eight people and injured nearly five dozen more while destroying about 100 homes” The USGS reported that the shock wave was similar to a 1.1 magnitude earthquake. Following the event, the company was heavily criticized for ignoring the warnings of a state inspector in 2009 and for failing to provide adequate safety procedures. The incident then came under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). On August 30, 2011, the NTSB released its findings, which placed fault for the blast on PG&E. The report stated that the pipeline that exploded, installed in 1956, did not even meet standards of that time. Even in the years following the disaster, PG&E failed to implement legally mandated safety procedures aimed at preventing similar disasters.
7. Butte Fire
In September 2015, the deadly and destructive Butte Fire ignited in Amador and Calaveras counties. It killed two people and destroyed hundreds of structures. An investigation found PG&E responsible for the fire after a gray pine tree came in contact with one of their powerlines.
8. October 2017 Northern California wildfires
In October 2017, PG&E was responsible for their own lines and poles starting 13 separate fires of the 250 that devastated Northern California. These fires were caused by “electric power and distribution lines, conductors and the failure of power poles”. Pending further investigation, the following fires have been confirmed by CAL FIRE investigators to have been started by PG&E equipment:
- Redwood Fire, Mendocino County
- Sulphur Fire in Lake County
- Cherokee Fire, Butte County
- 37 Fire, Sonoma County
- Blue Fire, Humboldt County
- Pocket Fire, Sonoma County,
- Atlas Fire, Napa County
- Norrbom, Adobe, Partrick, Pythian and Nuns fires of Sonoma and Napa County
- Cascade Fire, Yuba County
8. Ghost Ship fire
On December 2, 2016, in Fruitvale, Oakland, California a fire broke out in a former warehouse that had been illegally converted into an artist collective with living spaces known as Ghost Ship. 80-100 people were at an event in the space and 36 were killed. The plaintiffs claim that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. A civil case was put forward against PG&E, alleging blame.
In August 2020, PG&E settled a civil lawsuit for 32 of the victims, out of the 36 who perished in the fire.] The amount of the settlement was undisclosed, but it was limited to the amount available under PG&E’s insurance coverage for the year 2016.
9. Tubbs Fire
The Tubbs Fire was a wildfire in Northern California during October 2017. At the time, the Tubbs Fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history, burning parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties, inflicting its greatest losses in the city of Santa Rosa. Suspicion for the cause of the fire fell on PG&E, but the company seemed to be cleared of responsibility in this incident after Cal Fire released the results of its investigation on January 24, 2019, upon which news the company’s stock price jumped dramatically. On August 16, 2019, the judge ruled that the trial can proceed “on a parallel track” because “it advances the goals of this bankruptcy.” After the judge’s ruling, the company’s stock price sank by 25%.
10. Camp Fire (The worst of them all)
In November 2018, PG&E and its parent company were sued in the San Francisco County Superior Court by multiple victims of the Camp Fire – the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The Camp Fire destroyed more than 18,000 buildings, including 14,000 homes, being particularly devastating to poorer residents. Approximately 90% of the population of the town of Paradise, California as of June 2020 remains dispersed in other parts of the state and the country. The lawsuit accused PG&E of failure to properly maintain its infrastructure and equipment.
The cause of the fire, as indicated by PG&E’s “electric incident report” submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, was a power failure on a transmission line on November 8, just 15 minutes before the fire was first reported near the same location. Later investigation revealed that a “broken hook may have allowed a piece of electrically charged equipment to swing free and come close enough to the tower to arc, providing the spark that ignited the blaze.
. . . and the heat goes on . . .
11. Dixie Fire
On January 4, 2022, CalFire determined that “the Dixie Fire was caused by a tree contacting electrical distribution lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) located west of Cresta Dam.” CalFire forwarded the investigative report to the Butte County District Attorney’s office, the same federal office that prosecuted PG&E in 2018 following the Camp Fire.
ACCESS TO “LLAW’s ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:
Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated inks is listed below by nuclear Category. There is one bonus Yellowstone Caldera story available in this Post. The latest Sky News coverage of the Russia/Ukraine war is available at the end of the other categorized Posts.
(Just a reminder: When linked, the access to the media story will be underlined. If there is no link to a media story of interest you can still copy and paste the headline and lead line into your browser to find the article you are seeking. Hopefully this will never happen.)
TONIGHT’S CATEGORIZED NUCLEAR NEWS:
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
Jacobs Wins New Contract to Support UK’s Nuclear Power Plants – PR Newswire
PR Newswire
“I am proud of the teamwork across the fleet over the last eight years and look forward to the continued success and learning across all our program …
Opinion: Can America afford a new nuclear weapons buildup? | Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chattanooga Times Free Press
… things, provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, a new congressional commission report has suggested spending even more … All rights reserved.
In Japan, overtourism is raising concerns about the environment at Mt. Fuji – WHQR
WHQR
All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:00 PM Marketplace. 0:00. 0:00. All Things … nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster. See …
Nuclear Power
NEWS
Staff levels at Zaporizhzhia in spotlight : Regulation & Safety – World Nuclear News
World Nuclear News
The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is continuing to monitor the status, training and condition of staff at the nuclear power plant …
space nuclear power | Military Aerospace
Military Aerospace
Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse to develop on-orbit high-power electricity generation in future space missions. Nov. 6, 2023. Nuclear power may provide …
Climate and Russia – Does the world need nuclear power? – DW – 11/06/2023
DW
It’s crucial to make electricity production carbon neutral as quickly as possible. Is nuclear power the new game changer for achieving this ambitious …
Nuclear War
NEWS
Russia says it test-fired ICBM from nuclear submarine – Axios
Axios
… nuclear risks and raise tensions as it pursues its illegal war against Ukraine.” Details: The Russian defense ministry said it launched the Bulava …
Russia Rubs Salt Into U.S.’ Wounds; Putin’s Forces Fire Nuclear Missile From Submarine | Watch
YouTube
Comments678 · Russia’s star-wars weapon can hunt anything that flies | S-550 for India? · The Fall | The Russians Destroyed The Officers Of The 128th …
Ukraine war live updates: Russia launches nuclear-capable ballistic missile from submarine …
CNBC
Russia’s Ministry of Defense released a video Sunday appearing to show a nuclear-capable ballistic missile being test-fired from a new nuclear …
Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
Is nuclear energy safer now? – EnergyPortal.eu –
EnergyPortal.eu –
These include enhanced reactor designs, improved emergency response plans, and stricter regulatory oversight. Modern reactors are equipped with …
The 23 Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree – Newsweek
Newsweek
Job Requirements: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators need a reactor operator (RO) license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Some employers …
SA’s rural clinics to get emergency generators from China – IOL
IOL
Cape Town: Unit 1 of the country’s only nuclear power station, Koeberg, is still down and contributing to the current load shedding. Photograph: …
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Russia says it test-fired ICBM from nuclear submarine – Axios
Axios
The big picture: Putin has made several veiled nuclear threats since his … Go deeper: A reality check on Putin’s threat of nuclear war. Share on …
‘Unacceptable’: Germany slams Israel’s minister’s nuclear threats on Gaza – Anadolu Ajansı
Anadolu Ajansı
Germany on Monday condemned statements by an Israeli minister who threatened to consider using nuclear bombs in the Gaza war. The remarks by …
Venezuela Condemns Nuclear Threat Against Gaza | News – teleSUR English
teleSUR English
Citizens of Gaza respond to Israeli nuclear threats “This is not a war … Tags. Israel War crimes Palestine Gaza Genocide Nuclear Threat. People.
The 23 Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree – Newsweek
Newsweek
Job Requirements: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators need a reactor operator (RO) license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Some employers …
SA’s rural clinics to get emergency generators from China – IOL
IOL
Cape Town: Unit 1 of the country’s only nuclear power station, Koeberg, is still down and contributing to the current load shedding. Photograph: …
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
New Insights: The Potential Devastation of a Yellowstone Supervolcano Eruption
TickerTV News
Yes, Yellowstone National Park in the United States harbors a supervolcano beneath its surface. It has remained dormant for over 600,000 years, but …
The latest Sky News coverage of the Russia/Ukraine war”:
Key points
- Putin ‘to face tough choice’ to protect survival of regime View post
- Russian leader ‘close to deal for new military presence’ on Europe’s doorstep View post
- Russia and Ukraine give conflicting accounts on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia View post
- Zelenskyy invites Donald Trump to Ukraine View post
- Philip Ingram analysis:Who is winning the war? View post
- Sean Bell explains:Why Russia is very unlikely to seek end to war before US election View post
