Testing the waters
Morro Bay and Port San Luis weigh in on PG&E's seismic studies
BY MATT FOUNTAIN

If all goes according to schedule, Pacific Gas & Electric could be launching the final phase of its long-awaited seismic surveys off the Central Coast by August 2012.

But following the most recent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from the California State Lands Commission—the agency PG&E is courting for the permits necessary to do the job—local fishermen and coastal communities have raised concerns ranging from impacts on wildlife to economic losses.

For the final “high-energy” phase of its studies, PG&E proposes closing off 530 square nautical miles of open ocean from San Simeon to Guadalupe. Within the project boundaries, PG&E vessels will tow a cauldron of sound-generating air guns and sound-recording reflective equipment in a grid-like formation in order to get a better record of the seismic landscape surrounding the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

The tests have become the major prerequisite in the plant’s relicensing process, thanks to a state law adopted in 2006. But getting to the final phase has required a considerable give-and-take from all parties involved. more at link, it only gets worse