San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station - Anti-nuclear Protests

Anti-nuclear Protests

On August 6, 1977, about a thousand anti-nuclear protesters marched outside the nuclear generation station, while units 2 & 3 were under construction.

On June 22, 1980, about 15,000 people attended a protest near San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

On March 11, 2012, activists protested the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to mark the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Over 200 people rallied in San Onofre State Beach to listen to several speakers, including two Japanese residents who lived through the Fukushima meltdowns and Raymond Lutz. Though local leaders and industry officials say that a disaster like Fukushima is unlikely at San Onofre, the activists point to the plant’s safety record, earthquake risk, location on the coast quite similar to that in Japan, and the fact that as of March 2012, San Onofre’s reactors were "off-line due to leaks and wear and tear to the generator tubes. Speakers at the event said they would like for the generators to remain off".

Environmental and anti-nuclear activists gathered at Southern California Edison's Irvine headquarters in May 2012 calling for the San Onofre plant to be decommissioned. They also called for Edison to spend more money implementing energy conservation programs and suggested the formation of a working group to encourage consumers to save energy. The plant's shutdown has drawn scrutiny from elected officials, including Sen. Barbara Boxer, who asked Edison and the NRC whether design changes in the steam generators were properly reviewed.