Californian Republicans battle against the ban

11 September 2007

Hundreds of members of the Californian Republican Party have voted to work towards ending the state's 31-year moratorium on nuclear power plant construction.

The party said that by approving the pro-nuclear resolution, it had effectively put the weight of 5.3 million voters behind an initiative to ballot Californians on the ban.

The resolution was authored by California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who has long been campaigning against the moratorium. "I'm delighted with the unanimous support of the California Republican Party in favour of building modern nuclear power plants. The only way we can meet California's ambitious mandate to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in 13 years is if we allow the construction of new nuclear power plants," DeVore said.

DeVore heads Power for California, a non-partisan group that is committed to working to ensure a "safe, clean, reliable, and affordable supply of electricity." The group is now working to gather the 433,971 signatures required to place the initiative, called the California Energy Independence and Zero Carbon Dioxide Emission Electrical Generation Act of 2008, on the June 2008 ballot.

A bill to lift the moratorium was introduced to the state legislature earlier this year but was rejected by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. At the time, DeVore expressed his belief that a growing interest in nuclear power would keep it alive in future sessions.

Around 52% of Californian voters are reported as likely to favour the building of new nuclear power plants. The state is no stranger to major power outages as temperatures soar.

Further information

Chuck DeVore
Powerfor California

WNA's California's Electricity information paper

WNN: DeVorefights on in California
WNN: Billto lift California moratorium fails

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