Kristin and Heather met with Steve Lopez of LA Times, who then wrote the article linked HERE.

We have some thoughts…

We were hesitant to meet with LA Times generally, as they have been resoundingly antinuclear in terms of articles written by both their staff and their editorial board. Nuclear conversations are nuanced, and any journalist who already has leanings against our pro-nuclear position might tend more towards misinterpreting what we say, not necessarily maliciously, but simply by not understanding, not being curious, or not doing their due diligence.

So, we researched the reporter, Steve Lopez, and based on what we found, we decided that we have a LOT in common and that we might be able to understand each other and perhaps progress the conversation beyond being pro- or anti-, to what we commonly care about.

We spent a lot of time talking about what it meant to be an “environmentalist” and essentially defending ourselves by sharing our personal habits regarding recycling, picking up trash, conserving electricity, adopting EVs, composting, and many other areas. And that was pretty much all the time we had, as he spent about an hour with us in noisy coffee shop in Avila Beach. When the article was released, we saw that he had spent hours on the Point Buchon Trail with the Mothers for Peace.

His conclusion was - the anti-nukes have a “better argument.” We thought this was a strange conclusion given actual statements in the article from their side, that they essentially are behaving like “scaredy cats,” and are proud of it.

Read it, and decide for yourself what you think of these stronger arguments that are based on fear and not fact.

Excerpts:

“Should California extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant? On my visit to the Central Coast, I heard a resounding yes. And a resounding no.”

“By the way, whether Newsom’s extension is approved or not, Diablo Canyon is going to be open for three more years. That gives us time to accelerate the inevitable conversion to the energy of the future, rather than invest in the energy of the past.”

“Seeley told me she’s been accused of being a “scaredy cat,” and she pleads guilty as charged.”