When advisors to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary come to Cambria Thursday, Oct. 18, one of their topics of discussion is to be PG&E’s controversial proposal for seismic testing in the Pacific Ocean off Estero Bay.

Under the plan, high-energy ocean seismic surveys scheduled to begin in November in ocean waters offshore of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant would help geologists, federal nuclear regulators and PG&E better understand the risks that earthquakes pose to the plant. A second round of tests would happen late in 2013.

PG&E’s original plan included waters off Cambria, but that area has been removed from the updated plan. The sanctuary extends in the Pacific from the Bay Area to a point that’s just about midway along the shoreline of Cambria’s Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.

Although the Sanctuary Advisory Council has no official say in the matter, and neither does the sanctuary, opinions expressed by council members often carry significant weight with regulators who will have the final word.

The meeting starts at 8:45 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St., Cambria. Information about the seismic testing is scheduled for presentation and discussion from 10:30 to noon.

This story has been updated to correct the meeting location.