Hundreds protest near San Onofre against nuclear energy

Activists protested near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on Sunday morning, recognizing the one-year anniversary of the disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor and continuing a grass-roots push against nuclear energy.

A group of about 200 people gathered in a clearing at San Onofre State Beach overlooking the nuclear station as a series of speakers, including two Japanese residents who lived through the disaster, spoke of the impact of the reactor meltdown in Fukushima and their continuing questions about the safety of local residents.

Gene Stone of Residents Organizing for a Safe Environment, one of the groups that put together the event, said the Fukushima disaster has brought renewed awareness to the anti-nuclear movement.

"The industry talks about a nuclear renaissance. Well, there is also an anti-nuclear renaissance going on," Stone said. "When the genie is in the bottle it works, and it's safe for that moment. But an accident can happen, and the people of Fukushima know that."

Among those taking part in the protest were a group of 100 activists bused in from San Diego. Numerous law enforcement officials watched from the sidelines and the nearby roadway, but kept a distance from the gathering.

Local leaders and industry officials say local factors such as San Onofre's plant design and the area's geography make a Japan-style emergency at San Onofre unlikely.

The activists remain unconvinced, questioning the plant's safety record and the adequacy of its 10-mile emergency-planning zone.

"It's a wake-up call for people to remember that we do have a nuclear plant in our backyard," said Carol Jahnkow, of the Peace Resource Center of San Diego. "We're very much aware of the accidents that take place."

Numerous speakers and attendees pointed out that San Onofre's reactors are currently off-line due to a steam-generator tube leak in one reactor and premature wear in a tube in the second reactor. The speakers said they would prefer if the plant remain off-line.

"They don't wan to run that reactor because they don't think it's safe. We don't want them to run that reactor because we don't think it is safe," said Ace Hoffman, a local activist.

While many of the speakers have long opposed nuclear power stations, others said they were drawn to the issue following the events in Fukushima.

Tofgen Johnson, a San Diego resident with a background in planning, said he bought a Geiger counter after the Fukushima meltdown due to concerns about radiation reaching California. While officials say only minute amounts of radiation made it across the Pacific ? too little to cause health concerns ? Johnson said he found radiation readings in milk he had been serving to his children, and is now concerned about the safety of San Onofre.

"We are in trouble," Johnson said. "We have a condition here that the public needs to be aware of."

The rally took place a day after nearly 200 people met at the San Clemente Community Center in an evening of remembrance and prayers for Japan.

Staff writers Pat Brennan and Fred Swegles contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com

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Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/san-344144-nuclear-onofre.html

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