State senator (GOP!) seeks to block California reactor license renewals pending seismic study

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nuclear-20110322,0,1130019.story

State Sen. Sam Blakeslee said Monday that he would try to block Pacific Gas & Electric's licenses to run one of the state's two coastal nuclear power plants unless the utility withdraws its renewal application pending a seismic study of the facility's site.

Blakeslee, a San Luis Obispo Republican whose district includes the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, wants to know the potential effect of a recently discovered fault line near there.

"I'm concerned mostly about this culture of disregard of risk," said Blakeslee, who has a doctorate in geophysics. "It's potentially putting my constituents in a place of great risk."

The lawmaker made his demand at a legislative hearing on whether Diablo Canyon and the San Onofre plant in San Diego County could safely handle the level of earthquakes and tsunamis possible in those locations.

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the worm has turned

:D

On edit: Or else he's in a tight campaign race with a Democrat.

I am one cynical dude.