Only PG&E should have standing in decision to close Diablo Canyon

This is an open letter to San Luis Obispo County, school districts and cities that are whining about the closure of Diablo Canyon.

You all wasted years of a golden windfall in property taxes by spending every single dime you got, year after year. Did any of you save one thin dime for future uses? No, none of you did. Like a bunch of drunken sailors on liberty, you blew it all. Now that the Golden Goose wants to move on, you want them to soften the blow of your own financial mistakes.

What other commercial retailer was ever held to this kind of blackmail? Where do you get the nerve to ask for such restitution to cover your own shortsightedness and economic mismanagement? PG&E is being too generous in giving you an extra $50 million, and as a commercial enterprise (in a capitalistic-based economy), you should have no standing in their business decision to close the plant.

So please, stop your whining. Accept the fact you caused this pain due to your failure to save. And stop trying to come up with arguments to cover up your attempts to blackmail PG&E.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Only PG&E should have standing in decision to close Diablo Canyon."