Board Fires Boss of Rancho Seco

Directors of Sacramento’s citizen-owned utility district Thursday fired General Manager Richard K. Byrne, who had advised them to close the controversial Rancho Seco nuclear power station.

Carl Andognini, the engineer in charge of the nuclear plant, resigned but will remain as an adviser to the district on nuclear matters until the end of the year.

The shake-up in the management of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District came nine days after Sacramento-area voters endorsed continued operation of their nuclear power facility by a narrow margin in a hotly contested election.

Scrapping of the power station 25 miles southeast of downtown Sacramento was advocated in the election by a citizens’ group on grounds of safety and the district’s financial stability.

The board of director’s vote to fire Byrne was 3 to 2.

Byrne recommended last February that the district shut down Rancho Seco, which has been plagued with repeated breakdowns since going into operation in 1974. The board did not accept his advice. It sponsored a successful ballot measure in the June 7 election to keep the plant open on a trial basis for 18 more months.

Five days before the election, Byrne, under questioning by the board, reiterated his stand that Rancho Seco should be closed on economic grounds.

Byrne, a utility executive with 27 years of experience, was hired as the district’s general manager last November.