Yesterday, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 2647 (Calderon). Committee to Bridge the Gap was one of the lead organizations, alongside other environmental and public interest groups California, working in the California Legislature to oppose this dangerous, unnecessary bill.
AB 2647 sets in motion a process that could lead to California opening its doors to one of the world’s most toxic industries at precisely the moment that industry is being recklessly unshackled by the Trump administration. AB 2647 was introduced as a bill to overturn California’s longstanding ban on new nuclear reactor construction. Though the bill was amended, it is still geared to achieve this goal: it directs the Energy Commission to conduct a study of nuclear power – and recommend revisions to the sections of state law containing the nuclear ban.
AB 2647 structures the CEC's study poorly – it doesn’t direct the CEC to study ratepayer impacts from plant construction, impacts on water supplies or environmental justice, and other key issues – and the Legislature failed to deal with the concerns raised by its own staff: the study would be funded from an account in “structural deficit,” and imposes a deadline the CEC said is “not achievable.”
We look forward to engaging with the Energy’s Commission’s study to help the agency conduct a rigorous, balanced analysis, and prevent the nuclear industry and its allies from doing in California what they’ve done with the Trump administration: shred safeguards for nuclear technologies that demand the utmost caution.
CBG helped arrange position letters sent to every legislative committee the bill moved through, two of which are provided below.
Click here to see the letter sent to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee from organizations including Union of Concerned Scientists, Environment California, and Climate Resolve opposing the initial version of AB 2647.
Click here to see the letter sent to the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee from organizations including Sierra Club California and Physicians for Social Responsibility–Los Angeles opposing the amended version of AB 2647.