Bradley Says He Would Close Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant

Citing a prolonged series of shutdowns and safety violations at the Rancho Seco nuclear power plant, Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles said Wednesday that if elected governor, he would move to close the troubled reactor, located about 20 miles southeast of the capital.

In a speech to the Sacramento Press Club, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee pointed to accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and said those incidents “convince me that a disaster at a nuclear power plant in this country and in this community could indeed happen.”

Saying he had reviewed a “mass of evidence” that accumulated over the 11 years of the plant’s operation, Bradley added, “Rancho Seco ought not to be reopened, but shut down permanently.”

The plant was closed last December after a mishap and has remained out of operation while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducts a review.

The Bradley campaign has been airing television commercials in which the candidate is shown walking in the shadow of the giant Rancho Seco reactor and promising to make sure the state’s nuclear power plants are safe or “I will shut them down.”

In those commercials and in his speech, Bradley has been trying to portray Gov. George Deukmejian, his Republican opponent, as indifferent to the issue of nuclear safety, relying solely on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to safeguard the public’s well-being.

“I strongly disagree with that (position),” Bradley said in his remarks, adding that “the state has an obligation to the health and safety of its people.”

Power-Monitoring Role

A Deukmejian campaign spokesman maintained that the Administration plays an important role in monitoring nuclear power through the state Office of Emergency Services and the state Energy Commission. The spokesman also questioned whether Bradley had ever involved himself in federal hearings over the power plant.

Under federal law, the authority to govern the construction and operation of nuclear power plants is exclusively vested in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

But Bradley contended that states have police powers to shut down a reactor when it poses a threat to the local economy. Questioned about that later, an aide to the mayor said the authority was “untested” but cited a 1983 U.S. Supreme Court case filed by Pacific Gas & Electric against the U.S. Department of Energy.

Economic Ramifications

Asked what economic threat is posed by the reactor’s presence, Bradley said, “If an incident should occur there obviously would be a tremendous economic impact.”

The Rancho Seco reactor, virtually identical to the Three Mile Island plant, has been plagued by periodic shutdowns that have idled it for nearly half of the 11 years since it was built. In addition, there have been reports of alleged drug use among Rancho Seco employees and various safety violations have drawn strong criticism from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Bradley noted that electricity costs have risen steadily as problems with the plant have mounted. But he acknowledged that consumers would end up paying substantial costs to dismantle the plant if it were ordered permanently closed.