It worked out pretty much the way everyone expected.
Serious commission members, serious committee members, serious board members—all highly credentialed state-level appointees—mulled complex presentations, asked polite questions, heard hours of public comment, and then used the power of their office to give Pacific Gas & Electric exactly the answers it wanted regarding its Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Those answers were: yes, yes, and yes.
Yes, in December, to Coastal Commission permits. Yes, in mid-February, to Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee approvals of various safety studies. And, yes, this past Thursday afternoon, to Central Coast Regional Water Board permits. Those Water Board permits check the final box for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to complete its consideration of a 20-year extension for Diablo Canyon. PG&E is now hoping for that NRC golden ticket in “Q2,” according to a buoyant Tom Jones, the government agency hand-holder who is the earnest-looking face of PG&E at these meetings.