April 29, 2026
Joseph Mangano
Diablo Canyon is the only nuclear plant operating in California. An agreement between state government and the utility to shut down in 2024-25 was recently scuttled by the state legislature, and the utility has applied for federal approval to operate for 20 more years, which will cost many billions in maintenance of aging and brittle parts.
An April 29 report by the Radiation and Public Health Project showed that the San Luis Obispo County rate of abnormal births (low-weight/premature births, births with defects, and infant deaths) has shifted from below to above the state rate in recent decades. No major factor (unemployment, poverty, lack of education, language barriers, access to health care) can be linked to this unexpected trend, and radioactive releases from Diablo Canyon should be considered one such factor.
In 2025, Diablo Canyon produced just 8.4% of California’s electricity, compared to 51.3% from renewable sources, mostly wind and solar power. Safe renewable energy will continue to grow, and harmful nuclear power is not needed in California.
Below is a video interview featuring Joseph Mangano, Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) and World Business Academy Fellow, alongside renowned environmental and children’s health advocate Christie Brinkley, in conversation with journalist and media strategist Lance Gould, CEO of Brooklyn Story Lab and senior media partner for RPHP.
The discussion centers on a newly-released RPHP study exploring troubling infant health trends in San Luis Obispo County, the region surrounding the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.