San Onofre: the Nuclear Plant in LA's Backyard

Southern California Edison's website calls the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's two reactors the region's "largest and most reliable sources of electricity." Not any more. Since January, both reactors have been shut down because of unexpected wear on thousands of tubes carrying water that transfers heat from the nuclear cores to generate power. Restoration of full power won't happen soon, if at all. But Edison wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to let it fire up one reactor to 70 percent of capacity for five months and then stop for an inspection. With some 8.4 million people living within a 50-mile radius of San Onofre, that's raised a storm of protest. Edison plans to answer questions tonight at a public meeting in Dana Point.