50th Anniversary of the end of plans for a Nuclear Plant at Bodega Head, and the year of the Launch of Sonoma Clean Power
By Woody Hastings
Fifty years ago in October 1964, Pacific Gas & Electric announced that it was canceling its plan to construct the first commercially viable U.S. nuclear-powered electric generating station at Bodega Head. After the controversial project received intense local resistance and national attention, PG&E finally abandoned the site because of its close proximity to the San Andreas Fault.
It took the threat of a potentially catastrophic earthquake to shift things in the right direction back in 1964.
All that remains of PG&E’s folly, the “Hole in the Head,” a foundation pit excavated on the site of a freshwater spring.
Fifty years later this October, Sonoma County has succeeded in launching the newest locally-controlled electricity service provider that emphasizes non-nuclear and non-fossil energy sources, Sonoma Clean Power.
To learn more about the “Battle of Bodega,” attend one of these upcoming events. Both events describe how Sonoma County has played a proactive role in charting its own energy destiny.
Hole in the Head: The Battle for Bodega Bay Premier Opening Reception and Dinner – November 1
The battle of Bodega Head and the history of environmentalism – November 6
