ABSTRACT
As nuclear power has emerged as a national social and political issue, research on public response to nuclear power has proliferated at both local and national levels. This chapter aims to describe the public response to the Diablo Canyon plant, located in San Luis Obispo, California, from the early 1960s to the post-Three Mile Island period. The history of public response to the Diablo Canyon project has been both formal and informal. Formal public responses consist of two major elements: responses by groups through normal governmental channels, such as contentions raised by intervenors during permit hearings and local governmental responses, as illustrated by resolutions passed by communities to reduce potential hazards. Historical evidence suggests that the principal concern expressed by the public over Diablo Canyon during the pre-construction period was related to the potential damage to the coastal environment. The complexion and nature of public intervention regarding the construction of the Diablo Canyon plant has changed markedly over time.
