Isaac Meyer
History 120AC
Professor Chester
Fall 2014
Diablo Canyon Nuclear, a devil from the past: An Annotated Bibliography
Scholarly Monograph
Wills, John. Conservation Fallout: Nuclear Protest at Diablo Canyon. University of Nevada
Press, 2006.
A monograph that documents the construction and the protests around the nuclear power plant at
Diablo Canyon. A prime example of a historical monograph because it focuses on one location
and the development and interaction of people at this location. The author uses interviews and
primary sources from protesters and PG&E alike. Highlights the intense divide between support
and protest of the plant.
Scholarly Articles from Peer-Review Journals
Davis, Lucas W. Prospects for Nuclear Power. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 26, no. 1
(January 1, 2012): 4966.
An economic analysis of the costs and benefits of nuclear power. It does not cover environmental
effects, but serves as a business point of view. It provides excellent historical context for the
period in which Diablo Canyon was built. This article also gives excellent insight into the shear
financial weight of a project like Diablo Canyon.
Gotshall, Daniel W., Laurence L. Laurent, Sandra L. Owen, John J. Grant, and Philip Law. A
Quantitative Ecological Study of Selected Nearshore Marine Plants and Animals
at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant Site: A Pre-Operational Baseline, 1973-1978.
Monograph or Serial Issue, 1984. http://aquaticcommons.org/775/.
This study, although dated, provides invaluable information on the past environmental condition
of the area around the plant. Radiation or other nuclear specific effects are not mentioned in this
article, only ones relating to the general construction of the plant. The thermal pollution of the
plant is noted. Overall, this work is a great piece of information in understanding how the power
plant relates to the surrounding wildlife.
Primary Sources
Becker, James R. Industry Groundwater Protection Initiative - Voluntary Data Collection
Questionnaire, July 31, 2006.
http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0622/ML062280577.pdf.
This is a letter from a plant official to the NRC involving a questionnaire about groundwater.
This was a mandatory questionnaire and it reveals a lot of information in its two pages. The plant
has no record of releasing radioactive water except for one instance in which that leak was
directed to the asphalt lot. The wording is very technical so it is difficult to understand the
severity of the single leak in 1993. An interesting note is that no freshwater groundwater exists at
the plant because it is so close to the ocean.
DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT - NRC TEMPORARY INSTRUCTION 2515/183
INSPECTION REPORT 05000275/2011006 AND 05000323/2011006, May 13, 2011.
http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1113/ML11133A310.pdf.
This is an official letter from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to PG&E involving
recent plant inspections. These inspections are exceptional ones that are occurring because of the
recent disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. I feel this is an important primary source because
it shows the amount of detail that goes into such inspections and is an indicator of the level of
involvement after the disaster in Japan.
How the NRC Got It Wrong on Diablo Canyon | Letters to the Editor | SanLuisObispo.
Accessed September 26, 2014. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/09/23/3260077/how-
the-nrc-got-it-wrong-on-diablo.html.
This is a very recent opinion submitted to the San Luis Obispo tribune involving the seismic
safety of the plant. The writer, Michael Peck, is a former inspector from the NRC. He is voicing
a dissenting opinion from the NRC and claiming that plant is unsafe in the event of an
earthquake. This source highlights a major problem surrounding the plant: the risk of
earthquakes. It is difficult to predict or gauge the level of natural disasters, another relation that
the Diablo Canyon Power Plant has with nature.
Mayeda, Patrick, and Kenneth Riener. Economic Benefits of Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
Pacific Gas & Electric, June 2013.
This is a PG&E produced paper in conjunction with Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business, the
Nuclear Energy Institute, and Productive Impact. It is a visually appealing document, and
essentially fancy advertising for PG&E. PG&E has an enormous conflict of interest in this case,
as this source clearly depicts. It promotes the continuation of the plant by citing a low cent per
kWh price, avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions, and economic benefit to the surrounding
cities/state.
