CONTACT: Dianne Dienstein July 18, 1997 CPUC - 87
415-703-2423

CPUC SEEKS NOMINEES FOR DIABLO CANYON INDEPENDENT SAFETY COMMITTEE

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is today opening the application period for nominees to the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee. The Committee assesses the safety of the operation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and has authority to review quarterly reports and conduct on-site inspections. Only persons with knowledge, background, and experience in the field of nuclear power facilities are eligible for committee membership.

The search is to fill a three-year term that began July 1, 1997 and will end on July 1, 2000. The search is being conducted pursuant to the 1988 Diablo Canyon settlement approved by the Commission on December 19, 1988. This year, although the Commission ended the settlement in preparation for a competitive electric industry in California beginning January 1, 1998, it extended the operation of the three-member Independent Safety Committee.

The Committee reports its observations and recommendations annually first to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and then along with PG&E's response, to the Governor, CPUC, Attorney General, and California Energy Commission.

The application is available on the CPUC Internet website at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov, by writing to Nominations, c/o Massis Galestan, California Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue - Room 4002, San Francisco, CA 94102-3298, or by calling Massis Galestan at 415-703-1760. Applications should be sent to the address above before 4 p.m., September 2, 1997.

CPUC President P. Gregory Conlon, PG&E President Gordon R. Smith, and Paul R. Gray, Dean of Engineering of the University of California at Berkeley will jointly select and propose nominees to the Governor, state Attorney General, and Chairman of the California Energy Commission who will make the final selection.