Activists Kicked Out of Power Plant Safety Meeting

Activists with the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility were asked to leave a post-Fukushima hearing of experts convened in Oakland this Tuesday at the insistence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assess the vulnerability of nuclear power plants in the western United States to earthquakes. David Weisman, an attorney with Alliance, said he showed up for the meeting to observe the proceedings but was asked to leave by organizers who said that two of the three participating utility companies had agreed to attend only if the meeting was observed by approved guests. He was not on the approved list. While Alliance finds itself frequently at odds with PG&E over the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, Weisman said it was not PG&E that objected to his presence. Weisman said his exclusion violated the letter and spirit of the bylaws guiding the conduct of these meetings. They, he said, called for maximum transparency.