LA wants public hearings on nuke plant

Los Angles says it wants the San Onofre nuclear power plant kept out of commission unless its operator agrees to public hearings before it reopens.

The City Council will consider a resolution calling for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep the plant closed unless Southern California Edison agrees to a license amendment process that would include a public hearing process in which groups opposed to restarting the plant could introduce evidence, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The nuclear plant in San Diego County has been shut down since Jan. 31 after a leaking water tube released a small amount of radioactive steam.

A subsequent inspection found a number of similar tubes showing signs of premature wear.

Southern California Edison said it wants to restart one of the plant's two reactor units at 70 percent capacity, a proposal the NRC would have to approve.

Opponents, led by the environmental group Friends of the Earth, have urged the NRC to require a license amendment process that would allow public input, something the Los Angeles resolution, introduced by Councilman Paul Koretz, would support if passed.

A number of other cities in the region have passed similar resolutions, the Times reported.