Posted on the FOWCC FB Page:

Greetings, FB Friends: The Diablo Canyon Community Engagement Panel has been meeting these last few months to discuss and encourage community input regarding the closure and decommissioning of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The next public hearing is set for next Wednesday night (September 26, 2018) at 6:30 PM at the SLO County Government Center (1055 Monterey Street, SLO). The topic for this meeting is the future uses of the facilities and land that immediately surround the power plant, including the marina area and intake/discharge coves. (By contrast, last month’s meeting focused on the future uses of the 12,000 acres of buffer lands that surround the plant, including Wild Cherry Canyon.)

Do you have a vision for the future uses of this area (also known as “Parcel P”)? What is your opinion about the future uses for the marina and adjacent coves?

Thus far, the panel has heard from a variety of entities on these questions, including Cal Poly, SLO EVC, Clean Tech Incubator, Pacific Wildlife Care, Port San Luis Harbor District, Cal Energy Development, Perryman Technologies, and ya tityu tityu yak tilhini. These entities have suggested various conceptual reuses for the existing Diablo facilities and infrastructure. In addition, the Harbor District has suggested possible boat storage and slips at the marina. There has also been public comment about the breakwaters, most suggesting that they be kept in place rather than removed.

What do YOU think?

Your input is welcome and encouraged, and we hope you’ll attend the hearing and express yourself. And if you have a vision but not the time, please submit your comments using the link below.

Hope to see you September 26th!

Thank you for affording me an opportunity to toss my two-cents in. Moire than anything, I would like to see the repurposing of Facilities to undergo a transformation into a showcase for sustainable, safe, renewable solar, wind, and the 'harvesting' of natural ocean wave action energy production.

I would also like to see all nuclear waste storage facilities made a lot more safe and secure to guard against terrorism, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

Presentation at 9/15/2018 Facility Repurposing Workshop. Please see workshop video.

Presentation at 9/15/2018 Facility Repurposing Workshop. Please see workshop video.

Presentation at 9/15/2018 Facility Repurposing Workshop. Please see workshop video.

Presentation at 9/14/2018 Facility Repurposing Workshop. Please see workshop video.

Presentation at 9/14/2018 Facility Repurposing Workshop. Please see workshop video.

I am writing concerning the lands surrounding the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. I attended the August 29th meeting in San Luis Obispo. I heard land conservation with access, but without over use, as the major interests in repurposing the lands. I spoke to suggest that the University of California Natural Reserve System be considered as a land manager, as the mission of the Natural Reserve System is to contribute to the understanding and wise stewardship of the Earth and its natural systems by supporting university-level teaching, research, and public service at protected natural areas throughout California. The UCNRS already manages 39 reserves and over 150,000 acres throughout California. I want to invite the members of your committee to contact me and visit the Ken Norris Rancho Marino Reserve that I manage here in Cambria, to get a glimpse of how a UC Natural Reserve works. Like the Diablo Canyon lands, although on a much smaller scale, this reserve has 2 miles of rocky coastline, coastal grasslands (with a grazing program) and a forest (Monterey pine). I have had the good fortune to tour the Diablo Canyon Lands with rancher Bob Blanchard biologist Sally Kren, and truly appreciate the value and beauty of Diablo Canyon’s relatively undisturbed lands and how their management strategies have helped conserve these lands. I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully showing the Ken Norris Rancho Marino Reserve.

I was a participant on the August 22nd tour. I would like to see:

1) Public access to the coastal shorelines
2) Resort facility with upscale hotels, restaurants, possible conference center.
3) Marina facilities
4) Public park and beaches
5) Campground
6) Safe ingress and egress road facilities to alleviate any Avila Beach increased traffic..
7) Small amount of high end ocean view custom housing developments. No high density.
8) Possible consideration of a 17 mile drive approach like Pebble Beach.

Sixty years ago, the National Park Service made the following recommendation with regards to the lands surrounding Diablo Canyon: "This large, unspoiled area possesses excellent seashore values and should be acquired for public recreation and conservation of its natural resources." I share that sentiment and believe that the land that is left after PG&E has despoiled a large portion of it should be left as open space with access by the public for hiking. The marina should be restored to some semblance of aesthetics and opened for recreational access.

I would like a trail to hike, bike, and ride horses

My wife and I request the non-radioactive facilities on the site be repurposed as follows:
1) DCPP Fire Dept and Flex building >> deeded to CDF. Funding to come from CDF.
2) The Admin Bldg and other administrative offices given to Cal Poly. Funding to come from the University System. It should be remembered that the site has excellent internet connections.
3) The Intake Cove to be jointly used by USCG, Cal Poly, and Marine Mammal Rescue. Funding to come from those sources.
4) The Main Warehouse and Cold Machine Shop deeded to the USCG. The parking lot next to the Main Warehouse could be used as USCG helicopter landing pad and the main warehouse used as indoor hanger and living quarters for USCG.
5) The DCPP Desal Unit and the Sewage Treatment Plant along with associated piping would need to be retained for the above facility use. Funding to come from all facility owners.Incoming electricity would also need to be maintained for the facilities.
6) The I&C shop, medical facility, Turbine Building (all or parts), Maintenance Training Bldg, and vehicle garage (up on the hill) be given to State Parks. Funding to come from State Parks.
7) The Simulator Building given to the Chumash Tribe for cultural education and whatever they want to use it for. Funding to come from the State.
8) The site parking lots could become camping sites and limit the number of public allowed on the property at any one time. This would generate funds for the site via State Parks.
9) The plateau and animal coral at the 3.5 mile marker be used by Equestrian groups and could also have some camping spots at that location.
10) The DCPP shooting range deeded to the SLO Sheriffs Dept for their use and other local law enforcement use.
11) The Access Office (in the Flex Building) could be used as the State Parks greeting area and camp ground control office.
12) The MET towers should be given to NOAA. Funding to come from NOAA.
13) The only facilities that actually need to be torn down for decommissioning are the Containment Structures, Aux Bldg, and 115' Radwaste Processing facilities in the back yard Radiologically Controlled Area (RCA). The rest of the site is not radioactive (except for ISFSI) nor contaminated.
14) The rest of the 14,000 acres should be maintained for conservation and habitat. Very few locations have access to the intertidal zones due to the cliffs.
15) Some parts of the Turbine Building could be turned into industrial space (software companies, MINDBODY, professional offices, etc). Money generated from that rent could go back into the site maintenance. It should be remembered that the site has excellent internet connections.

I was not able to make the public meeting about Diablo but feel it is important for the property to become open space and protected from any private development of the land. PG & E has been a valuable community partner and steward of this pristine land and I would hope it remains that way long after the plant is decommissioned. Thank you!

Please consider multiuse trails including equestrian use!

Thursday, August 30, 2018
DEAR DIABLO DE-COMMISSIONING PANEL-
I am writing to you now because I was not able to stay and share my 2.5 minutes last night at the public forum outreach.
First of all thank you to each of you, the panel- for your willingness, your dedication, time, and effort to serve on the panel and serve us all, the general public- as it is very important to work towards consensus and solutions about how the Diablo lands and facilities will transition from its current state to a safe, environmentally sound, and sustainable future, without the nuclear generating facility. Kudos and appreciation to PG & E & the leadership of dedicated biologists line Sally Krenn who worked so diligently as good stewards of the land while under their watch.

Clearly, the land, and that stretch of coastline is a treasure now, and will be again, despite the imposition of the imminent danger that is there as long as the spent fuel rods are there. Yes, please, let’s not forget that- the proverbial “elephant in the room”. We the people that live in this area the past 40 years have become so accustomed & complacent about the warning sirens we hear annually. If you hear those sirens and live within those areas where the sirens blare- your lives, and the lives of all living creatures in that sphere, hang in the balance. The potential for devastating damage to all life forms in the vicinity of Diablo looms large, so long as there is the infrastructure of the working plant, the in-progress decommissioning and deconstruction, and the storage of spent fuel rods and cooling pools, even if the footprint of those areas is reduced down to just “ a few football fields”.
I want you to be mindful & respective of the lessons in history we have seen in our lifetime and recall or re-examine the unfortunate but very real horrors of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and certainly Fujimori Japan. Perhaps you, the panel, should interview the various people of San Onofre, to hear how their decommissioning & disassembly has transpired. In an instant, without much warning or help, those nuclear disaster areas were changed & ruined forever.
SILENT VOICE-
I wanted to speak to you last nigh as a representative of a voice you did not hear from, nor will you hear from. Fresh from my trip to Peru, where the Ancestors of the Incas shared with me their belief & respect for “patcha Mama”.aka Mother Earth. They have 3 symbols that they use to represent Patcha mama; 1) the snake, which represents all creatures living in & below the ground,2) the Puma, the representation of all animals that live upon the ground, and 3) the Condor, the representative of all living things above ground, and in spirit form. Patcha Mama, aka Mother earth, then represents all living creatures that share the earth as its inhabitants.
. We all share this space and share its responsibility to be sensitive to our collective needs. I feel strongly we must not solely look at our human- derived wish lists and desires, but we must develop a land use designation, layout, and management that serves all living creatures- not just our human inherent desire to acquire & control more resources, but rather a plan that provides for and enriched the lives of all living creatures, from the soil organisms & insects to the birds and animals and plants that need connectivity and habitat and seclusion & protection, rather than “affordable housing”, or “networks of trails” or “flight paths” that are important to have as human outlets- but not necessarily here on the land that historically has belonged to the animals and creatures and Native Americans prior to Diablo construction.

I encourage each of you to go upto Wild Cherry Canyon, or some other secluded canyon or parcel up in the adjacent Diablo lands. Just sit, quietly, for about 10-20 minutes, maybe a half hour. Just listen. Look. Feel the life & beauty that surrounds you. It abounds. That is the voice that I want you to hear and be motivated by. That is the life force, the energy, the beauty that I want you to be mindful of. This space, in its entirety, and all the living creatures- from little ants and millipedes to soaring Red Tail hawks… want you to hear them. They want you, as panelists, to recognize that their future and survival is dependent on us humans being generous, kind, and respectful of their needs. We must make tremendous effort to hear “their voice” and give weight and significant relevance to nature and it’s needs. Their voice, though Silent, should be given attention, respect, and creedence.
For upon examination, who is it, really, who has sacrificed more than the animals and living creatures, and spirit world that live in the areas directly impacted by Diablo ?
Not PG&E- who generated incredible income and provided jobs, and much needed energy for our consumptive masses.
Not us, who was “denied access” for safety and security reasons- and to the benefit of the lands adjacent to Diablo.
It was the sacrifices and accommodations made by:
The animals and creatures who were killed by Diablo traffic or construction.
The fish and sea life who were, and continue to be affected by Diablo impacts of intake and outflow.
The plants and trees and soil organisms that were trampled or removed or destroyed by Diablo.

Please, I ask you again, as a representative of the “silent voice”- all Patcha Mama and Mother Earth’s creatures… make decisions that benefit the nature, ecology, and flora and fauna of the area- not just look at this “wonderful opportunity” to conserve & gain access for needy human beings.
I was greatly encouraged and moved by the overwhelming desire for “conservation” in its various forms. I was also encouraged to hear a movement to act soon, as soon as lands become “releasable” and ready for “preservation”, and Nick Franco, Adam Hill, and Land Trusts have already gathered resources and energy to make conservation moves before closure of the plant.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Please do what I asked you- and go, alone, and sit and hear the voices of Patcha Mama I asked you to hear & consider. I guarantee you this… it will be a peaceful and enriching ½ hour.
Respectfully yours,

Bruce Berlin
CaliFlora Resources
Arroyo Grande

Debby Lyon

16 MS. LYON: My name is Debbie Lyon. I live in
17 See Canyon. I'm an equestrian. I am pretty passionate
18 about horses and wilderness. And in all that's being said
19 about conservation, there is kind of an overtone of the
20 balance between protecting the land and the species out
21 there and the habitat and all of that and the need for
22 public access. And I'm also in the mental health field,
23 and I feel that access to wilderness, particularly for
24 children and teenagers, is essential to their mental
25 health.
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1 And I believe that a well-designed and planned
2 trail system is the best way to balance public access and
3 protection of the land because when you have impacts of
4 public access, it's usually because there is development
5 or there are people just everywhere. But when you have a
6 well-designed trail system that plans where people will
7 go, people stay on the trails and they have minimal impact
8 on the land and on the wildlife, at the same time as being
9 able to be out there in the wildness and experience it.
10 Thank you.

Jeff Herten

6 MR. HERTEN: My name is Jeff Herten. I am a
7 physician. I have lived in See Canyon for the last
8 40 years. I am married to Debby Lyon, you just heard
9 from. We've spent thousands of hours of our time building
10 and maintaining the trails to Montana de Oro for both
11 running and riding. I'm a trail advocate. Bob Jones was
12 a patient of mine and a friend, very good friend. And I
13 am here for him tonight because I know what he would say,
14 and he would say that we have this incredible, rare
15 opportunity to do something beyond anything we will ever
16 be able to imagine, and I think we can do this.
17 Debbie and I sit on the board of the Western
18 States Trail Foundation, which maintains a 100-mile trail
19 from Squaw Valley to Auburn. It's a historic trail. And
20 about 10 years ago, a timber lease -- our trail crossed a
21 timber lease, and although we have prescriptive rights,
22 they were going to sell this timber lease. We were faced
23 with the possibility that we couldn't put on our hundred
24 mile ride and the trail would be lost. Through concerted
25 effort with conservation groups, we were able to raise $13
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1 million and buy that timber lease and turn it over to the
2 American Wildlife Conservancy, and it will be preserved
3 the forever, for us to enjoy that trail and for our

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August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
4 children. And I hope that we can do the same with this
5 beautiful, beautiful piece of coastline. Thank you.

Martin Wright

Comment card submitted at meeting.

I'd like to see as much of the structures as possible not be torn down be reused. Examples and suggestions for reuse of structures:

1 - DCPP fire dept. Given to DCF and financed by CDF (state)
2 - Intake cove maint shop bldg, afea 10 simulator bldg given to Coast Guard and financed by USCG
3 - Area 10 + intake cove utilized by Marine Mammal Rescue Assoc. financed by Marine Mannal Rescue Funds
4 - Shooting range given to Sherriff's Dept and funded by SLO Co Sherriff's
5 - Main warehouse and cold machine shop and admin bldgs given to Cal Poly or University system for new college funded by state university and tuition
6 - Desal unit be maintained and used by South County governments and residents and support above
7 - Sewage treatment plant and piping maintained to support above
8 - North of Diablo Creek utilized for Chumash education center
9 -Turbine bldg used ofr businesses. The site has excellent internet connections.
10 - The I+C shop and vehicle maintenance garage utilized by State Parks, financed by state parks
11 - MET towers utilized by NOAA

One thing I did not address to the panel in regards to multi-use trails is this- much of the labor will be free. There are a number of new trails being constructed throughout the county using volunteer labor. And SLO POST is able to contribute funds toward the construction as well. Multi-use trails work very well in our county because the various user groups respect each other. Our bike riders are cognizant of how to conduct themselves around horses, for example. They ask if they need to step off the trail. They yield the right of way appropriately. They recognize that horses are prey animals and that their reaction is flight.

I'm not convinced I want to encounter a parasail, glider, or drone on a trail with my horse. Admittedly,I experienced a hang glider once. Our horses were a bit startled by it and did react. But it didn't cause a problem, particularly because we were on the beach and the horses did not feel confined. AND they were experienced trail horses who had encountered strange things on the trails, like seeing tripods bobbing through the brush. And they got that way through experience. I had one horse who was thoroughly used to motor dirt bikers trying to scare her. The first time she saw a mountain bike on a trail, she threw me. And that sucker was far, far away. I had to go home and ride a bike around her. It isn't easy to find a parasail or glider to buzz your horse so they get used to it. I'd advise keeping the flying things away from multi-use trails. I've had friends who have encountered drones being flown straight into their horses faces on the trails. Some people are plain idiots who enjoy trying to see a show.

Supervisor Adam Hill

9 MR. HILL: Good evening, I am Adam Hill. I'm
10 from the Board of Supervisors, 3rd District, which is
11 where the plant resides. And I just want to start out my
12 remarks by thanking, once again, the panel for doing a lot
13 of work for the community. I know you've sat through a
14 lot of meetings, and you have more to go. And your work
15 and your recommendations are critical to this process, so
16 I really do thank you from our perspective.
17 And I am here to speak to the decisions and the
18 opportunities that lie ahead for our community and for our
19 state. We have a unique chance here to shape major policy
20 and investment choices in a collaborative way that can
21 yield significant conservation and economic benefits. The
22 prospect ahead of us will afford us several different ways
23 to strengthen regional collaboration as we work together
24 to transform our challenges into productive possibilities.
25 As you know, the Board of Supervisors has been
0039
1 keenly focused on Diablo-related issues, and we will
2 continue to intervene in the State CPUC process to ensure
3 the county, as a whole, is represented. We have
4 identified this process as a high-level strategic planning
5 item and we have actively intervened in the state CPUC
6 process to be certain that the local voice is heard. We

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
7 have also worked hard on SB1090 to ensure the unintended
8 economic consequences of state energy policy are mitigated
9 in our local towns and cities.
10 It's imperative that we think very strategically
11 and maximize the opportunity this long-planning horizon
12 gives us. To that end, while I remain concerned about how
13 the state will replace the energy degenerated at Diablo
14 Canyon power plant -- meaning it would be a very bad bet
15 if greenhouse gasses increase because fossil fuel has to
16 be utilized until renewables can replace some of the
17 baseload power -- however, I am excited about the renewed
18 opportunity that the transition can provide us if we don't
19 squander it. That is the key here.
20 Specifically, we should be thinking about the
21 lands for conservation in a sequential manner, in phases.
22 If portions of the lands are not affected or encumbered by
23 the Utility direct ownership or the decommissioning
24 project, I suggest to the panel that we look to be able to
25 pursue conservation on those lands as soon as possible.
0040
1 More specifically, given the changing dynamics, including
2 that a State Park bond was recently approved by voters, I
3 think we should remove Wild Cherry Canyon conservation
4 effort tonight. There is no reason the lands owned by an
5 affiliate company to PG&E that don't impact the actual
6 decommissioning project should be tied up with and delayed
7 by a decade or more to wait and see what happens.
8 As I think, as Ms. O'Malley recommended, we
9 should seek a disposition particularly of the Wild Cherry
10 Canyon lands. We should want to pounce on the alignment
11 of the State Park bond funding, the new focus on this
12 area. We can make this happen. And no one at your
13 workshops, according to your own summaries tonight, or
14 anyone has contacted my office over the last probably few
15 years, has advocated for development, but rather for some
16 form of conservation. And I have been working quietly but
17 diligently over the course of a few years with a very
18 small group of local leaders that can make the community's
19 dream of owning Wild Cherry Canyon a reality.
20 I hope you will forcefully recommend that the
21 Wild Cherry Canyon property be detached from the
22 decommissioning planning now and that we be given the
23 opportunity to own this beautiful land for public use.
24 Thus, I also encourage the panel and PG&E to be flexible.
25 If a partner or partners are brought in to stretch limited

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August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
0041
1 public powers for conservation acquisition with the
2 public-private partnership, then that opportunity should
3 be explored.
4 Again, we have waited a long time. And I feel
5 confident that we have a way to make HomeFed and PG&E
6 financially whole so the public can own this precious
7 asset forever. It's pretty simple from my perspective.
8 We have a great opportunity here. We shouldn't squander
9 it or quibble over subtleties. Let's preserve this
10 property and start the process now. And I have people in
11 place who know how to make such a deal happen.
12 That leads me to concepts I have heard about for
13 repurposing and reuse, which I know the panel will take up
14 next month. I think it's important to be bold. We can
15 have many things that people have been recommending to
16 you, from a waterfront marina, to a place where renewable
17 power, ecological, agricultural, recreational, economic
18 and education activities can flourish together, so we can
19 make that happen.
20 The County's partnership with Cal Poly has never
21 been stronger. The County's partnership with our cities
22 is also at a high point. Our tourism sector is fantastic
23 and growing. Another pride and joy of my district, our
24 airport, is booming. All signs are good that interests
25 can be aligned.
0042
1 And also, let's think about, as you move forward
2 into that next month, a resilient water strategy for the
3 region that includes looking at the desalination
4 facilities at the plant. The future uses on site will
5 need water and a partnership with the County, one we had
6 planned for and will, again, make sense. In fact, the
7 future of the de-sal plant continues to be the most
8 asked-about subject by the constituents. Perhaps no other
9 matter could be of more importance to our communities'
10 future water security.
11 Finally, I want to reiterate the County's role
12 is to be a regulator and intervener watchdog and a
13 catalyst for the projects that could happen here, and we
14 want to get started now. It is going to be decades to do
15 some of these other things. It will be hundreds of small
16 decisions that will crescendo into a very big set of plans
17 that will benefit our community and state for centuries to
18 come.

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Public Comments
19 So I hope again, emphasis on being able to
20 detach the Wild Cherry Canyon property from the rest of
21 the other decommissioning properties that may be used in
22 that, and let us have a chance to make a project happen.
23 I feel confident that it can. And I want to thank you
24 again for your service and for your thoughtful
25 deliberations.

Nick Franco

1 MR. FRANCO: Nick Franco. I'm the current
2 director of County Parks. I used to be the district
3 superintendent for California State Parks, so I am very
4 involved in those properties and I am very personally
5 invested. I am sorry I missed your workshop. I had to
6 choose between that and my daughter's wedding, so I made
7 the right choice.
8 So there is few areas of California coast that
9 have the degree of wilderness that this area has. It's a
10 critical area, and it's really an opportunity that can't
11 be missed. And I think you've heard that over and over
12 again, but I just want to state that up front.
13 So I was fortunate to be able to work with many
14 partners, many who are in this room, on the Phase 1
15 acquisition of about 2000 acres that was an addition in
16 the Irish Hills to Montana de Oro. And I say "Phase 1"
17 because this is Phase 2. And when Phase 1 was presented,
18 Phase 2 was identified with Wild Cherry Canyon being a
19 bird preserve and other lands throughout there. So it's
20 on the radar. It was out there. And these things need to
21 follow through and you need to complete the Phase 2 and
22 let the entire Irish Hills conservation agreement. We
23 can't let it fall through like it did last time.

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Public Comments
24 What I would recommend is don't get caught up in
25 a specific outcome, that it needs to go State Parks, it
0044
1 needs to go to a private developer with conservation
2 easement or whatever that is. Focus on the goals, focus
3 on what you are hearing, which is conservation and view
4 shed and open space values, some trail alignment for the
5 California Coastal trails, some way to connect the Montana
6 De Oro with Avila, some way to connect See Canyon with
7 Avila, some way to make sure that we have those trail
8 linkages, some way to conserve critical wildlife habitat
9 and the cultural resources out there. Those are really
10 the core values and there is many ways to accomplish that
11 through the many different partners that are out there.
12 And then look at those long-term opportunities, connecting
13 with the Bob Jones pathway, additional parking so that we
14 can do the Avila to Harbor Pier Trail and bikeway.
15 There's opportunities for private investment and
16 concessions and other opportunities out there.
17 In terms of financing, there is a lot of
18 partners. You've heard from lots of them. There is State
19 Parks. There is us, County Parks. There is Port San
20 Luis, the Land Conservancy, the private landowners,
21 Cal Poly, lots of nonprofits. And when I was with State
22 Parks, I did put together a budget for operating this. I
23 did put a budget for developing it. We would have to
24 escalate that for the time since 2008, but it's out there.
25 Those documents exist. At the time, there was a 2000 park
0045
1 bond and there was 13 million allocated from that park
2 bond. I think that's been reallocated, but there's Prop
3 68 that's out there now, so there is funding available. I
4 think it can be financed and you need to do that.
5 MR. ANDERS: I just want to remind the panel and
6 the public that the panel will not answer or address any
7 questions during the presentations; however, there will be
8 an opportunity after the presentations for the panel to
9 discuss and make observations about what they heard.

Dan York

0 MR. YORK: My name is Dan York, and I'm vice
11 president of the Wildlands Conservancy. And I was
12 privileged to be able to have the time to be able to
13 attend both of your workshops last week, and I got a crash
14 course in the history and in the proposed future uses of
15 the decommissioned Diablo Canyon lands.
16 I would like to start tonight especially
17 thanking the members of the panel for their time and their
18 dedication and their commitment. I would like to thank
19 PG&E for their stewardship on the land and the amazing
20 amount of care and resources that you put into preserving
21 that exquisite stretch of coast. Sally Krenn, thank you,
22 tremendous amount of energy and focus put into looking at
23 the biological, cultural and resources on the property.
24 And I had a privilege of going with Tom on a short tour of
25 the property. Magnificent.
0046
1 The Wildlands Conservancy owns and operates
2 147,000 acres of nature preserves throughout the state of
3 California, 15 preserves stretching from Humboldt County
4 down to San Diego. The largest preserve is the windmills
5 preserve, 93,000 acres in Southern Kern County, that's 20
6 miles of downgrade from the Los Padres National Forest.
7 It has severed rights and a lot of oil production on the

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Public Comments
8 property. It has grazing operations, which we have used
9 to focus on resource priority. It has outdoor education
10 for kids and major restoration with several different
11 state and federal agencies.
12 I just wanted to let the panel know and to let
13 the people of San Luis Obispo County know that we are
14 standing by and want to see a conservation outcome for all
15 of these lands that PG&E and the county and the state and
16 the PUC deem as possible. Whether it's in phases, as the
17 supervisor suggested, or in one piece, we stand by and are
18 ready to help.
19 And I guess my last thanks would go to the
20 citizens of San Luis Obispo County who voted
21 overwhelmingly, three out of four, with the Dream
22 Initiative to see a conservation outcome of this land.
23 Thank you.

Randy Knight

24 MR. KNIGHT: Good evening panel members. My
25 name is Randy Knight. I'm a retired physics professor
0047
1 from Cal Poly, and for many years I was the director of
2 The Minor in Environmental Studies program at Cal Poly.
3 I'll be the first to say that decades ago when
4 the decision was made to site the Diablo Canyon reactors
5 where they are near Point Buchon rather than the Guadalupe
6 Dunes, probably land and habitat conservation was not
7 foremost in people's minds. But today, PG&E finds itself
8 the owner of some of the most intact and wonderful habitat
9 in the state of California. Not only is the ecology
10 intact, but the PG&E lands are essential to the
11 connectivity of habitat along the Central Coast. These
12 lands are immediately adjacent to State Park lands. They
13 are immediately adjacent to lands that are protected by
14 the Land Conservancy. Altogether, these add up to about
15 25,000 acres of lands in the Irish Hills.
16 The connections aren't perfect because of the
17 highways, but we do know that large animals migrate from
18 the Irish Hills up to the Los Padres National Forest in
19 the north, and down south as far as the Dunes.
20 Maintaining this large scale connectivity for migration is

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Public Comments
21 imperative for the survival of species, especially in the
22 face of climate change, which species can be seen to
23 migrate to areas where they haven't traditionally been
24 found. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that it's far
25 cheaper and easier to make sure species don't become
0048
1 endangered rather than to have to deal with the
2 consequences of a listing of an endangered species. We
3 know from decades of biological research that preserving
4 large and connected habitats is the most important and key
5 thing we can do to keep species healthy.
6 So yes, the Diablo Canyon lands certainly have
7 value potential to real estate. You can put a dollar
8 figure on that. It is not as easy to put a dollar figure
9 on the value of habitat. But I feel I can assert that in
10 the big picture, the value of open space and habitat and
11 connectivity far surpasses the value of possible real
12 estate development. And yes, there are financial
13 implications to how to make this happen. I don't have an
14 answer to that, but where there is a will, there is a way.
15 So I urge you to do the right thing and
16 recommend these lands, all of them, receive permanent
17 protection as open space. Yes, open space with some
18 public access, but primarily open space to protect this
19 valuable and irreplaceable habitat. Thank you.

Richard Waller

25 MR. WALLER: Good evening, Panel. I am Richard
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1 Waller. I live in Arroyo Grande. I'm the recent past
2 president of Back Country Horsemen of California, a 3,000
3 member organization, the only statewide organization
4 dedicated solely to trails. Tonight I am representing the
5 Back Country Horsemen of California, Los Padres Unit, 250
6 members here on the coast. And we are just a small
7 fraction of the number of equestrians that love to ride
8 trails.
9 I followed the process of putting the power
10 plant in this pristine coastline instead of the Nipomo
11 Mesa, as first proposed by PG&E back in the 1960s. That
12 location was successfully blocked and the section of coast
13 almost no one knew of was selected. I say "almost no
14 one." My grandfather farmed sweet peas on those
15 benchlands on the way out to the power plant back in the
16 1920s and 1930s. He leased the land. He knew the land.
17 As can be seen from the sea or from nearly any
18 viewpoint in our area, the Irish Hills are a scenic
19 resource of world-class beauty. Preserving this land for
20 public access, environmental protection with a network of
21 trails and campsites is the right thing to do.

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
22 The question of how to replace the economic
23 benefit of the parkland hangs over every discussion
24 regarding the area. Preserving this landscape as a park
25 -- and I use the "park" in a generic sense -- will have
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1 positive economic benefits for our county. My wife and I,
2 we travel overseas. We take long hikes in Switzerland, or
3 Italy, or Portugal, or Spain, and we spend our dollars.
4 This park will bring people in who will spend their
5 dollars and pounds and euros and yen here in our county.
6 The economic benefits of parks extend beyond tourism. The
7 greatest value of natural amenities and recreational
8 opportunities often lie in the ability of protected lands
9 to attract and retain people.
10 People move to our area to work, whether they
11 are doctors, or lawyers, or contractors because of the
12 scenic and open space opportunities that we have in our
13 county. Substantial percentages of counties in California
14 get income per capita based on public lands and visitors
15 to those areas. Over 15 percent of the jobs in San Luis
16 Obispo county are directly related to tourism. That
17 number would only go up if this area becomes a natural
18 resource for tourism.
19 I know you are not going to answer the question,
20 but I have a question. I trust the transmission lines and
21 the towers that stretch out across our county will also be
22 removed as part of the decommissioning process and we
23 won't have those. Thank you.

Patrick McBibney

24 MR. McGIBNEY: Thank you, Panel. My name is
25 Patrick McGigney. I'm the CEO of Biodiversity First, a
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1 local 501C3 nonprofit organization. We work to preserve
2 and protect the wildlands and species upon which we depend
3 for our own physical and spiritual survival. Biodiversity
4 First recommends that all 1200 acres of lands around
5 Diablo Canyon be held in a public trust and into
6 perpetuity. Because we value the rich diversity of
7 wildlife and vegetation on this site, we recommend that
8 human access be limited to prescribed hiking trails,
9 parking at the entrance, no public roads, one coast trail
10 and one ridge trail that can connect to Montana de Oro
11 State Park, much like the Buchon Trail does. We recommend
12 that the Coast Trail have handicapped access.
13 We also recommend that the important wildlife
14 corridor that runs from Diablo Canyon lands to Montana de
15 Oro into Los Padres National Forest, remain undisturbed.
16 Mountain lions, bear, gray fox, bobcats, Black Hills deer,
17 wild turkey, possums, coyote, cottontail rabbits, and many
18 other species, thrive in this diverse ecosystem, and their
19 survival depends on our protection.
20 The Diablo Canyon lands are sacred to the

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
21 Chumash Nation, and Biodiversity First recommends that
22 every identified indigenous site be restricted from public
23 access. This beautiful land is one of the last
24 undeveloped swaths of coastland in California. And
25 residents of the Central Coast and all of California have
0055
1 had to live with the danger of the nuclear power plant
2 built on earthquake faults for the past 30 years.
3 Biodiversity First recommends that PG&E donate all of the
4 land into a public trust, possible State Parks, for
5 perpetual conservation. Thank you.