California governor signs bill to keep last reactors running

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation intended to open the way for California’s last operating nuclear power plant to run an additional five years. The Diablo Canyon Power Plant is scheduled to close by 2025, but the new law gives operator Pacific Gas & Electric a pathway to seek an extended operating license with federal regulators. Newsom pushed for the longer run to ward off the risk of blackouts as the state transitions to solar and other renewables. Critics warn that the decades-old plant is unsafe. They say shaking from nearby earthquake faults could damage equipment and release radiation.