Power for California

Power for California is a pro-nuclear power group associated with California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a Republican from Irvine.

The group is working with DeVore to gather "the 433,971 signatures needed to place [an] initiative on the June 2008 ballot" in support of building new nuclear power plants in California, according to a September 2007 press release. 

On September 9, 2007, the California Republican Party voted to support the pro-nuclear ballot resolution, which has the official title "Nuclear Energy. Removal of Prohibitions on the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants." 

The group's website, powerforcalifornia.com, was registered on July 10, 2007, on behalf of DeVore, by the Virginia-based web hosting company Network Solutions, according to domain registration records. 

History
In February 2007, DeVore had introduced a bill to end the state's ban on new nuclear power plants, until "there exists a demonstrated technology for the permanent disposal of spent fuel." When the bill died in April 2007, nuclear proponents pledged to mount an effort in support of a ballot referendum on new nuclear plants. 

In November 2007, DeVore withdrew his ballot initiative. DeVore "got permission to begin gathering signatures to place the initiative on the ballot" in October, but "no signature gathering was done," because polls found 52 percent of Californians support new nuclear plants, while 42 percent oppose them. "If we pushed this thing to the ballot, we were likely to lose," said DeVore. "You want to be in the mid-60 percent range before you start on something that controversial." Instead, "he plans to submit a bill next year that would lift the nuclear moratorium legislatively." On the Power for California website, DeVore commented, "Eventually, California will catch up to reality."

Contact information
Website: http://www.powerforcalifornia.com/

SourceWatch resources

 * Fresno Nuclear Energy Group LLC
 * Nuclear Boosters