The State - News from March 14, 1989

The Rancho Seco nuclear power plant was restarted after a 41-day shutdown caused by the failure of a mechanical governor on an auxiliary water pump. The latest shutdown prompted a new round of criticism of Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s management of the plant, including an NRC call for a thorough inquiry into why the equipment shutdown was handled in a questionable manner. SMUD first said the pump had been modified by the manufacturer without the knowledge of plant operators. But last week the district announced that 20 plant employees were disciplined, with penalties ranging from written reprimands to suspensions without pay, for their handling of the Feb. 1 incident, the fourth shutdown of the nuclear plant since completion last year of a $400-million overhaul of the facility. Sacramento voters narrowly rejected a measure last year to close the publicly owned plant permanently. Another vote is set for June.