Diablo Timeline Part II

1982-1996

1982

• Jan 14 PG&E fails to get a full power discharge permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board;
  
• Jan 19 The NRC ASLB holds 7 days of hearings on evacuation plans;
  
• Jan Californian's for Nuclear Safeguards finalize a state wide ballot initiative that would end nuclear power in California on economic grounds. The initiative is killed by an L.A. industrialist, who is planning to launch his own ballot initiative "The Nuclear Freeze" initiative;
  
• Feb 11 The NRC votes 3-2 to issue a notice of violation to PG&E for making a Material False Statement;
  
• Mar 15 The Reedy Co. reports that two previously completed reviews of the company's quality assurance program are flawed. Reedy goes on to say that PG&E failed to maintain proper oversite of design and construction of the facility prior to 1978. The 1986 CPUC investigation required FOIA channels to gain full access to some of this review;
  
• Mar 18 The NRC votes 3-2 in favor of the 7.5 magnitude slip/strike seismic design criteria;
  
• Mar 19 The NRC meets with PG&E executives to review the company's management of all nuclear activities which is rated as poor;
  
• Mar 19 After intense public pressure, the NRC selects Teledyne to do the Independent Design Verification Process. Controversy continues as the new company has a previous history with PG&E and also owns PG&E stock;
  
• Mar 22 PG&E retains Bechtel Power Corp. to manage the 2nd reconstruction of the facility;
  
• April 23 The NRC's ASLB okays PG&E's security plans. Intervenors appeal the decision;
  
• May 24 Pre-trial hearings begin for Abalone blockaders from last September's action;
  
• June 11 The Cal. Water Quality Control Board over-rules their own regional board's refusal to grant a discharge permit into the ocean. The permit allows PG&E to waives all EPA standards for toxic discharges, with the maximum daily release set at 2.5 billion gallons of water that is from 20 to 100 degrees above normal;
  
• July 8 Repair work on the damaged breakwater begins;
  
• Aug 31 The NRC's ASLB says that Diablo emergency plans meet federal standards for a full power license;
  
• Sept 27 County supervisors vote 3-2 to accept a proposed emergency evacuation plan;
  
• Oct 1 PG&E makes its 8th revision to costs and operation. PG&E estimates both units will cost an additional $945 million making the combined total costs of $3,255,000,000 with operation dates for unit 1 set for 10/1/83 and unit 2 set for 4/15/84;
  
• Dec 8 The NRC approves a new 3 step plan for Diablo's licensing;
  
• Dec 8 Agents arrest a man who was plotting to plant a bomb at the reactors. He was later released when claims were made that undercover police were helping him;
  

1983

• Jan 28 Attorney General Van De Kamp replaces former Governor Jerry Brown as an intervenor;
  
• Mar 8 Congressional leaders urge the NRC to be careful in its oversite of Diablo;
  
• Mar 17 PG&E accepts state Water Quality Control Board discharge limits;
  
• Mar 18 PG&E currently has 4,600 workers onsite that have made 5,890 modifications to pipe supports and other errors that have been found since 1981;
  
• Mar 26 An SLO rally brings out 3,500 opponents of Diablo;
  
• April 21 The NRC appeals board orders more hearings on design quality;
  
• May 10 Reports of worker harassment and improper removal of repair tags grow;
  
• June 16 The flood of workers is making it hard for other people to find housing in the SLO area;
  
• July 19 The NRC appeals board holds hearings over sloppy work. A former inspection supervisor states that quality control has dropped dramatically since last winter;
  
• Aug 8 The NRC staff recommends that the low-power testing license be restored;
  
• Sept 12 Intervenors discover an audit that contradicts PG&E testimony about quality controls;
  
• Sept 17 An NRC report to Congress says that PG&E's overconfidence led to design errors at Diablo;
  
• Oct 25 The NRC denies intervenor requests for hearings on quality controls claiming the request was not up to code;
  
• Oct 28 NRC director Harold Denton tells the full commission that Diablo is ready to load fuel;
  
• Oct 31 3 weeks of NRC hearings on design problems begin with PG&E claiming that none of the design problems found had safety implications;
  
• Nov 8 The NRC votes 4-0 to restore PG&E's low-power testing license and load nuclear fuel into unit 1;
  
• Nov 9 Intervenors file for an injunction against fuel loading with D.C. Court of Appeals;
  
• Nov 11 The court grants the injunction against fuel loading;
  
• Nov 15 The court pulls the injunction and PG&E begins loading fuel;
  
• Nov 21 The Abalone Alliance announces plans to start a series of protests at Diablo beginning Jan. 13th;
  
• Nov 30 An engineer tells the NRC that he was fired for complaining about flawed safety reports on seismic designs. He also states that PG&E altered records on piping systems that had failed;
  
• Dec 2 The NRC starts investigates allegations of hundreds of stories about altered construction reports;
  

1984

• Jan 13 Abalone Alliance starts extended blockade at the Diablo front gates. 537 people are arrested over a 4 months;
  
• Jan 24 Federal investigations begin of alleged activities at Diablo. The chairman of the NRC defends the agencies behavior before Congressional hearings;
  
• Feb 11 1,000 protest at Diablo while 52 are arrested;
  
• Feb 12 6 arrested at Diablo front gates;
  
• Feb 13 8 arrested at Diablo front gates--total to date 301;
  
• Mar 27 The NRC vote 3-2 not to give PG&E alow-power testing license for Unit 1. Commissioners consider bringing in a 3rd party to oversee quality assurance;
  
• Mar 27 A new Hosgri fault study indicates that the fault may be closer to Diablo than previously thought;
  
• April 6 An NRC engineer backs down from his opposition to giving PG&E a low-power testing license after immense internal pressure is put on him. He says a compromise plan will fix errors before full power operations begin;
  
• April 13 The NRC votes 4-1 to reinstate PG&E's low-power testing license;
  
• April 18 The D.C. Court of Appeals refuses to grant intervenors an injunction on the low-power testing license;
  
• April 29 PG&E starts Unit 1;
  
• May 10 PG&E requests a $300,000,000 rate increase from the CPUC;
  
• May 18 The NRC proposes a $50,000 fine due to closed safety valves;
  
• May 26 Presidential candidate Mondale goes to SLO and makes speech against Diablo Canyon;
  
• June PG&E breaks up the Diablo quick-fix engineering group that has been "eyeballing" repairs without engineering analysis;
  
• June Mothers for Peace files 100 new cases of misleading or material false statements, bringing the current total to 1,300;
  
• June An NRC safety inspector voices concerns over 2 of 7 technical seismic issues as well as several other safety related issues;
  
• June 8 The utility asks the NRC to grant them a full-power testing license for unit 1;
  
• June 14 NRC officials testify before a congressional subcommittee about Diablo licensing;
  
• June 21 The Government Accountability Project (GAP) asks the state Attorney General to investigate 100 allegations of lying;
  
• June 28 The NRC blocks a proposal for new hearings on design and construction flaws made by intervenors;
  
• June 29 The NRC appeals board reverses a 1982 ruling by the NRC that evacuation plans be certified before operation can begin;
  
• June 29 PG&E makes its 9th revision to costs and operation. Total costs jump $1.885 billion to $5,140,000,000 with an operational date of Sept. 84 for unit 1 and May 85 for unit 2;
  
• July 9 11 activists are convicted for trespassing in the winter Abalone actions;
  
• July 9 The NRC staff says pipe design errors found last winter won't effect safety;
  
• July 11 Isa Yin resigns from the NRC inspection project in protest over the agency's handling of safety issues;
  
• July 18 Intervenors call for new seismic hearings based on new geological relevations from a recent earthquake at Morgan Hill;
  
• July 23 The local district attorney files charges against PG&E for a 1983 1/2 acre concrete spill while attempting to repair the breakwater;
  
• July 25 In a secret NRC meeting to discuss how to get around the formerly agreed upon evacuation plans that were to have been in place prior to licensing, NRC attorney Sheldon Trubatch says "We don't have to look at earthquakes in California because we have determined that they are not important to look at."
  
• July 30 The NRC releases 4 reports claiming unit 1 is ready to operate and that all major issues have been resolved. They request PG&E start a new study on Hosgri;
  
• Aug 2 The NRC votes 3-1 in favor of giving PG&E a full power license for unit 1;
• Aug 7 Intervenors ask for an injunction from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C.; THE KEY LEGAL ISSUE AT STAKE In 1981, the NRC refused to consider how an earthquake might effect evacuation plans at San Onofre. Instead, it promised to deal with the issue in for all of future licenses. But when Diablo was ready for approval in 1984, the commission had done nothing with the issue.
  
• Aug 9 The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, orders the NRC to respond to the proposed injunction against Unit 1's full power license by Aug 12;
  
• Aug 12 The NRC refuses Rep. Markey's request to hold emergency planning hearings claiming the jurisdiction over the issue has passed to the U.S. Court of Appeals;
  
• Aug 17 The Mothers for Peace gains a stay on the NRC's full power decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C.;
  
• Oct 27 A CPUC judge orders PG&E to preserve all documents related to construction and safety issues at Diablo Canyon due to concerns that the utility might be destroying documents;
  
• Oct 27 A N.Y. representative sends a letter to the NRC accusing the agency of acting illegally in licensing Diablo without ordering evacuation plans as promised;
  
• Oct 30 NRC Commissioner James Asselstine accuses fellow commisioners of "serious abuses" in licensing Diablo Canyon;
  
• Oct 31 The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. removes the federal stay on full power operations for Diablo Canyon Unit 1 after the NRC refused to release the controversial July 1984 transcripts;
  
• Nov 2 The NRC grants a full power operating license to PG&E;
  
• Nov 8 PG&E raises its estimated costs for Diablo to $5.3 billion. The reactor is now operating at 2% of its rated capacity;
  
• Nov 13 A federal grand jury starts investigation into criminal allegations of actions by the NRC;
  

1985

• Jan 9 PG&E requests a full power operating license for unit 2;
  
• Jan 10 KRON TV in S.F. reveals the secret NRC transcripts from 1984. The transcripts show that: 1. the NRC based its decision on an unlitigated PG&E evacuation plan; 2. the NRC expressed economic concerns if the hearings were held over safety issues; 3. the NRC misled the U.S. Court of Appeals by refusing to reveal the transcripts;
  
• Jan 10 The CPUC staff proposes a $170 million rate reduction for PG&E ratepayers. PG&E requests a $219 million rate increase;
  
• April PG&E is given permission by the NRC to start low-power testing of unit 2;
  
• May 2 The D.C. federal appeals court votes 9-1 to reopen the Mothers for Peace appeal of Diablo Canyon's operating license. The court refuses to stop the reactor;
  
• May 7 Diablo Canyon unit 1 begins commercial operation;
  
• June 10 The CPUC estimates that Diablo will cause the loss of $120 million in revenues from PG&E's natural gas sales;
  
• June 27 8 workers are charged with selling cocaine;
  
• July 10 The House of Representatives holds hearings on the NRC's licensing of unit 1. Chairman Markey states that the secret transcripts "reminded me of the Watergate tapes." The committee takes testimony from the NRC and and opponents. A committee investigation is done finding the NRC guilty of: 1. deliberately attempting to avoid public hearings on evacuation planning; 2. considering off the record materials from PG&E that had not been adjudicated; and 3. refusing hearings because it would entail further delays and increased costs to PG&E;
  
• July 31 Value based pricing scheme for Diablo Canyon proposed by CPUC;
  
• Aug 1 The NRC approves a full-power operating license for Unit 2;
  
• Aug 2 Intervenors say they will challenge the operating license for Unit 2;
  
• Aug 20 The Diablo Canyon unit 2 is started for the first time;
  
• Aug 21 CPUC allows PG&E to charge $716 million of the controversial Helms River power project costs to ratepayers. The project uses excess Diablo Canyon power as its primary power source;
  
• Aug 27 Unit 1 is shutdown for 2 days because of a breakdown in a steam generator water pump;
  
• Sept 3 The Chair of a house sub-committee says that the NRC chairman may have given his committee inaccurate testimony;
  
• Sept 10 The Santa Cruz supervisors will vote on a proposal calling for the storage of all low-level wastes at Diablo;
  
• Sept 12 PG&E requests a $712 million yearly increase in electric rates for Diablo;
  
• Sept 19 The state Pollution Control Financing Authority delays a decision on PG&E's request to sell $109 million in bonds to modify waste facililities at Diablo;
  
• Oct 8 PG&E loses its proposal to prevent public access to documents that will be involved in the CPUC ratecase;
  
• Oct 17 PG&E also wants a $917 milliion rate increase for 1987;
  
• Oct 20 Unit 2 produces electricity for the first time;
  
• Nov 29 Unit 2 is shutdown by a monitor that detects a high steam flow;
  
• Dec 4 Seaweed forces the shutdown of both reactors;
  
• Dec 9 For the 3rd time in 2 years, security guards(4) are arrested for selling cocaine;
  
• Dec CPUC grants PG&E a $53.8 million rate increase to cover operating costs at Diablo Canyon. The utility asked for $206 million. The CPUC allows the utility to keep an estimated $334 million in fuel savings;
  

1986

• Jan Republicans gain control over the CPUC assuring a major shift in policy towards PG&E;
  
• April 25 The U.S. Court of Appeals votes 5-4 against the Mothers for Peace request to open an investigation into the NRC's secret July 1984 transcripts and to stop the operation of the facility. The Majority decision was written by Judge Robert Bork, the man who ordered the firing of the Watergate prosecutor, and later proposed for a slot on the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan. The first of the two decisions, according to Bork claimed that the court would be setting policy if it investigated the secret transcripts. Then Bork used information from those very same transcript, in the decision not to reverse the power license, saying that the NRC had taken care of the seismic issues;
  
• April 26th 1:23 AM The Chernobyl reactor in the Ukraine blows up resulting in the largest industrial disaster in human history;
  
• May 14 William Bennett asks the state Supreme Court to order the CPUC to hold hearings on PG&E's evacuation plans;
  
• July 14 The First public broadcast in Northern California of David Brown's "A Question of Power" (A brief history of Diablo) on a small college station (KCSM);
  
• July 23 Democratic candidate for govenor Tom Bradley calls for new safety rules at the state's reactors;
  
• July 24 The Mothers for Peace appeals the April court decision to the Supreme Court;
  
• Aug 12 Intervenors win a court appeal to block PG&E's $16 million reracking of spent fuel containers;
  
• Sept 16 The Sierra Club and Mothers for Peace file another restraining order to stop PG&E's reracking of spent fuel;
  
• Sept 23 Intervenors reach an out of court settlement on PG&E's plans to rerack spent fuel at Diablo Canyon;
  
• Oct 7 The CPUC starts the decommissioning ratemaking phase for Diablo Canyon;
  
• Oct 20 The U.S. Supreme court refuses to reverse the April 25th, Court of Appeals decision to allow Diablo Canyon to operate, ending legal challenges of the operating license;
  
• Nov 14 NRC regional safety director states that PG&E's management performance has slipped;
  
• Dec 6 PG&E may be fined by the NRC for its repeated failure to fix a damaged door that is designed to prevent radiation releases;
  
• Dec 22 PG&E is given a $29 million rate increase to cover operating costs of Diablo during the CPUC rate investigation;
  

1987

• Jan 2 A fire in Unit 1 injures two workers at the facility;
  
• Jan 5 A hydraulic leak shuts Unit 1 down;
  
• Feb 22 High water levels in the Unit 1 steam generator shuts down the reactor. The reactor trips again after an attempt to restart it due to a blown electrical circuit;
  
• Feb PG&E donates $520,000 for new lights on the Golden Gate Bridge;
  
• Mar 7 The CPUC votes a $53.2 million a year increase to ratepayers to create the Diablo Canyon decommissioning fund. The amount was based on CPUC hearings that estimated the cost in 1987 dollars for closing the facility at $587.6 million or $3.5 billion dollars in 2015 dollars;
  
• Mar 13 Diablo Canyon Unit 2 begins commercial operation;
  
• March 16 A small plane crashes into a high-voltage line 40 miles from the reactors causing unit 1 to be shut down;
  
• Mar 20 Top NRC officials meet with PG&E management to discuss agency concerns that the utility failed to operate the facility properly. There are 14 allegations of harassment of workers and failure to report safety violations in the last year;
  
• April 5 Unit 2 shuts down due to excessive buildup of steam in the turbine. The unit will be closed for 12 weeks for refueling;
  
• April 10 15 workers were evacuated as a result of radioactive exposure from Unit 2 during refueling. Radiation escapes outside and 30 gallons of coolant spills inside;
  
• May 7 Unit 1 operates at 93% of it rated capacity during its first year of operation-- a U.S. record;
  
• May 8 PG&E goes to the state Supreme Court, now that "liberal justices" have been removed to get higher rates for Diablo from earlier decisions;
  
• May 12 Both reactors were shut down, one for refueling and the other due to problems in the power grid;
  
• May 15 The CPUC staff recommends that customers pay no more than $1.15 billion of the $5.52 billion costs, based upon its 3 year-$7.4 million investigation that reviewed over 100 million documents that generated a 17,000 page report on the reactors. The staff states that: 1. PG&E failed to conduct studies of offshore earthquake faults or search out data published in 1971 by Shell Oil Co. that identified the Hosgri Fault three to five miles offshore from the plant. 2. From 1971-76, PG&E repeatedly ignored or minimized evidence of the fault -- even though PG&E's own consulting geologist acknowledged in 1973 that it might be capable of a 7.5 magnitude quake -- and continued to construct the plant as originally designed. 3. The company was slow and deficient in implementing a quality assurance program after the 1976 redesign was ordered. As a result, it failed to uncover a series of major design errors.
• 4. PG&E was forced to redo seismic modifications in 1982 after building them backwards;
  
• June The ASLB holds public hearings on PG&E's proposal to increase the volume of spent fuel in storage ponds 5 fold. Out of 90 people attending, only PG&E people were in favor;
  
• June 11 PG&E demands an immediate $257 million rate increase to help cover operating costs at Diablo;
  
• June 17 180 of Diablo Canyon's security guards go on strike demanding a 3% pay raise;
  
• June 19 PG&E announces the discovery of another "insignificant" fault near the facility;
  
• June 20 PG&E workers end a 3 day strike with no terms disclosed;
  
• June 31 NRC reports that 2 of 3 barriers designed to prevent radiation from leaking into the environment were not in place during a recent accident at Unit 2;
  
• Sept 16 A CPUC judge opposes a plan to give PG&E $543 million a year to cover construction costs at Diablo Canyon;
  
• Sept 26 State attorneys will ask an administrative law judge to rule that customers aren't liable for $2.5 billion in operating delays at Diablo;
  
• Oct 1 The CPUC judge blocks a staff proposal to disallow any of the post 1982 construction costs ($2.5 billion) at Diablo Canyon;
  
• Oct 16 The CPUC refuses PG&E's request for an additional $266 million rate increase to help pay for Diablo;
  
• Oct 28 PG&E wins a motion to contest the CPUC's plans to exclude all costs after 1982;
  
• Nov 10 Diablo Canyon's emergency warning system accidently trips turning on sirens throughout the county;
  
• Dec 10 The CPUC grants PG&E a rate increase that sets average electric bill at $40.72 a month;
  

1988

• Jan 5 PUC staff requests a delay in the startup for the final rate hearings as PG&E delivers 50 boxes of testimony and records to each of the parties involved;
  
• Feb 3 A senior reactor operator at Diablo is reprimanded for doing unauthorized work on a malfunctioning valve, leading to a reactor surge of 103% above capacity;
  
• March 21 The state Supreme Court rules in favor of a 1985 rate increase granted to PG&E by the CPUC;
  
• April 13 A CPUC judge supports a $147.2 million rate increase for PG&E costs;
  
• May 11 The CPUC grants PG&E a $147.2 million rate increase for PG&E's Diablo Canyon facility;
  
• June 19 The CPUC final rate hearings are delayed a week due to a settlement between the PUC, PG&E and state Attorney General;
  
• June 28 State Attorney General Van De Kamp signs onto the proposed settlement for Diablo Canyon;
  
• June 27 This is the headline that the San Jose Mercury News printed concerning the proposed Diablo Canyon rate settlement. (Note that every major media outlet made similar claims): REACTOR SETTLEMENT SHIFTS COSTS ONTO STOCKHOLDERS Step forward into the future and find the truth;
  
• July 17 A series of electrical failures in Unit 2 causes the failure of 3 of 4 coolant pumps. This results in an imbalance of steam in the system that inturn initiated a safety backup system which shuts the reactor down;
  
• Nov 31 The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the NRC failed to properly consider safety issues for PG&E's spent fuel reracking plan;
  
• Dec 19 "The state Public Utilities Commission today adopted an unprecedented plan that forces PG&E to pay about $2.1 billion of the cost of building the Diablo Canyon." This is how the public trust was broadcast via the media. TURN got a couple of sentences in like: ''It's a sellout of the consumers' interest,''. Opponents of the settlement that had taken part in the 3 year hearings were simply brushed aside by the media. There was NO real attempt to look closely at the deal. Just what the proponents were claiming. See the Abalone Alliance Press statement that was REFUSED to even be taken by the media at the press conference. Press statement:
  
• Dec 24 PG&E discloses $500 million in write-offs that are allowed as a result of the PG&E settlement. Additional write-offs are expected next year;
  

1989

• Jan 11 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that consumers don't have to pay any of the costs of abandoned nuclear power facilities;
  
• Jan 19 PG&E claims a $487 million loss in the 4th quarter of 1988 due to allowed Diablo Canyon write-offs;
  
• April 7 Former head of the CPUC William Bennett takes PUC settlement to state supreme court;
  
• July 7 NRC proposes a $75,000 fine to PG&E for failure to place Unit 2 in hot shutdown when critical pumps were not working last January;
  
• July 18 Unit 2 is shut down to repair leaky ocean intake pipes;
  
• July 27 The state Supreme Court refuses to reverse the CPUC rate settlement decision made on Dec. 1988;
  
• Sept 5 PG&E spends $20 million for a 5 years seismic study that is now being looked at by the NRC and USGS. The study found 5 other faults near the facility including the San Luis Bay Fault 1.2 miles from the facility. The study claims the Hosgri fault did not cause the 1927 earthquake that destroyed Lompoc Quake. The controversy on the length and type of fault is still hotly disputed by experts from both sides. New key to building safety is the frequency at which a building resonates during a quake;
  
• Oct 20 Public Citizen calls for reopening seismic investigations at Diablo Canyon and Millstone, both located near active faultlines;
  
• Oct 27 Unit 2 is shut down due to sparks spotted in the electric turbine;
  
• Oct 28 A Unit 2 Unusual Event declared when outside fire fighters are called in to deal with a fire in the electrical generator;
  
• Dec 16 State Attorney General Van De Kamp refuses to appoint a nominee to the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee claiming that all of the candidates were pro-nuclear(nominees were selected by PG&E, dean of UC engineering Dept. & the CPUC president);
  
• Dec 20 PG&E is granted a $433 million rate increase by the CPUC;
  

1990

• Jan 3 Random drug testing for 1,900 employees of the facility are started(Union employees were excluded due to a court order);
  
• Jan 18 PG&E posts a $901 million in profit for 1989, up from $62 million on 1988;
  
• Feb 14 The NRC fines PG&E $50,000 for a level 3 violation at the facility;
  
• April 20 PG&E claims they had a 14% dip in profits during the 1st quarter due to their routine refueling of one of the reactors;
  
• Apr 28 USGS is calling for seismic retrofits at Diablo due to an upgrade in the Hosgri fault's potential dangers. The NRC and PG&E will release a report in june;
  
• Oct 25 PG&E requests a $480 million rate increase from the CPUC;
  
• Dec 19 The CPUC grants PG&E a $668 million a year increase in rates or over $8.00 a month increase for individual customers increases are for farm subsidies and Diablo Canyon; Average bill will go from $51.97 to $58.30
  
• Dec 24 NRC launches a probe into a series of mechanical failures at Unit 1;
  

1991

• May 17 A Diablo technician accidently removes the wrong fuses triggering a shutdown;
  
• June 11 The NRC's review of a PG&E seismic study claims the facility is safe, but requires some additional bracing on some safety equipment;
  
• Aug 15 A Unit 2 coolant pipe breaks, dumping several hundred gallons of radioactive water into the containment building;
  
• Oct 17 PG&E says 3rd quarter earnings drop due to Unit 2's regular refueling outage;
  

1992

• Jan 17 A small earthquake occurs offshore of Diablo Canyon at 12:36 AM;
  
• Sept 18 Towards Utility Rate Normalization (TURN) calls the 1988 rate settlement "obscene" and demands the decision be reversed;
  
• Oct 19 The Hosgri fault is now believed to be a "thrust fault" (as originally claimed by intervenors in 1978) by USGS. New information from recent quakes has indicated that the reactors may not be strong enough to survive a maximum credible event;
  
• Oct 19 NRC issues a bulletin that reveals that fire barriers at Diablo and other reactors could fail to protect vital wiring;
  

1993

• Feb 6 Unit 1 is partially shutdown due to an overheated pump;
  
• Feb 15 The media starts reporting the impact of Diablo Canyon rates on ratepayers;
  
• April 22 PG&E claims its earnings dropped 7.5% due to a regularly scheduled refueling at Unit 2;
  
• Jun 10 PG&E agrees to freeze rates and layoff up to 2,600 workers to help offsite growing rates caused by the 1988 Diablo Canyon rate agreement;
  
• Aug 16 PG&E is requesting that expiration dates of the facility's operating license-- to 2021 from 2008 for one reactor, and to 2025 from 2010 for the other;
  

1995

• May 24 The CPUC approves a 32% cut in Diablo Canyon rates TURN says that $700 million of the reduction will be given to PG&E shareholders to pay for the PG&E rate freeze. The CPUC staff based on current operations projected that PG&E would recover all investments in less than 15 years unless changed;
  
• July 2 The S.F. Examiner publishes a story about how S.F. Mayor Willie Brown made a deal in 1988 to stop any state supported hearings on Diablo Canyon in exchange for cutting a $3 million business deal to O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran;
  
• Sept 30 Unit 1 is shut down for its regular refueling;
  
  
• Dec 2 Unit 1 was shut down due to pump problems;
  

1996

• Jan 24 The 9th District Court of Appeals reverses a lower federal court's decision to grant $2 million in damages to a PG&E/Bechtel worker who claimed he was caught in a PG&E drug sting and then fired;
  

Sources: San Jose Mecury News, S.F. Examiner, San Luis Obispo Telegraph-Tribune, Mark Evanoff, PG&E Testimony before the CPUC in case 84-06-014-Exhibit 1002 volume #2 October 1987, PUC staff testimony in case 84-06-014 Volume #1, March 1987