Nuclear powerEnvironmentalists concerned about earthquakes tests near California nuclear plant

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) wants to use air guns to emit strong sound waves into a large near-shore area which includes parts of marine reserves. The purpose: creating three dimensional maps of fault zones near its Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in California. The plans have federal and state officials concerned about marine life and public safety.

The Stamford Advocate reports that a state study, mandated by the California Energy Commission (AB1632), says that the project will have “unavoidable adverse effects” on marine life and the environment. The project is is opposed by environmental groups, biologists, and fisherman in the area as the blasts have the potential to hurt endangered whales, sea otters, and other creatures of the area.

“I am very concerned about impacts to marine mammals, especially some of the large whales including blue, fin, and humpback whales,” John Calambokidis, an Olympia, Washington-based marine biologist who has studied Pacific Ocean whales for decades, told the Advocate. “There are many uncertainties on the impact of this type of operation on whales, especially since we have not seen this type of large air gun survey off California for a long time.”

The Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council are just two of the many groups that oppose the project. According to the groups, adequate seismic research has already been done and the long term impact of using the guns in a marine environment is unknown.

“The marine protected areas were created (so) marine wildlife could thrive without human interference,” Amanda Wallner of Sierra Club California told the dvocate. “We share concern over earthquake risk at Diablo Canyon. However, we don’t believe this is the best way or the only way to determine seismic risks.”

The project, which costs $64 million and was funded by ratepayers in the area, has accelerated due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which killed 15,870 people and separated over 100,000 kids from their homes. Quake experts incorrectly predicted the strength of the earthquake.

Now PG&E wants to know whether newly discovered faults near their plant are connected to existing ones that have been studied in the past.

“People need to understand, we’re living in the world post-Fukushima, so we need to go back and review everything we think we know about the seismic threat situation around important structures like this power plant.” Bruce Gibson, a former seismologist told the Advocate.

“Unfortunately, from an environmental impact standpoint, the only real way to get the images is to put high energy sound into the earth.”

If the project is approved, scientists for PG&E would place hundreds of sensors on the ocean floor and tow  eighteen air guns behind a boat and blast loud sounds into a 530-square-nautical-mile area. The sensors would pick up reverberations from the blast and computers would create a three-dimension map similar to an ultrasound.

The 530-square-nautical-mile area PG&E wants to work in includes two marine protected areas and is adjacent to a marine sanctuary where dozens of endangered and threatened species call home.

A state lands commission impact study published on 20 August, found there would be an “unavoidable impact” on marine life due to the project.

The commission also concluded the “benefit of the project outweighs the adverse impacts.” Jennifer DeLeon, a senior environmental scientist wrote in the study.

This type of project was recently done in Washington and PG&E monitors did not observe any harm to marine life.

The guns can be fatal to animals that stray too close to them and biologists report that the loud noises could separate whales from their young. Also mortally wounded whales tend to sink in the ocean instead of rise, making  it difficult to assess the damage the guns have caused during projects.

According to Mark Krausse, a PG&E director, the company is spending $8 million on monitoring whales during the course of the project, but efforts to lessen the impact have only reduced the harm to animals.

“If the ship is coming within 1.1 mile of any mammal, not just a marine or listed, but any mammal, we have to shut down.” Krausse told the California Fish and Game Commission last Monday.

PG&E wanted to conduct the project from 1 November through 31 December, a time frame when there is lower whale traffic, but the company is now asking for an extension of its hearing before the California Coastal Commission and if the extension is granted, approval for testing permits would not be granted in time.