A ballot initiative that would close California's two remaining nuclear plants has qualified to start gathering signatures to attempt to make the November 2012 ballot.

The initiative would extend California's current moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants to cover the two existing plants, Diablo Canyon Power Plant and San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The current ban is written to last until the federal government approves a long-term disposal method for nuclear waste. The two existing plants contribute about 14 percent of California's electricity supply.

The initiative's author, Santa Cruz resident Ben Davis, said he was hoping to draw a connection between the March 2011 meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant and the two California plants.

"It was a bad accident, but it was not a worst case," Davis said in an interview. "There are accidents that can happen at those two plants that would bankrupt the state of California."

Californians have become more hostile to nuclear since the Japan accident. Fifty-eight percent are opposed to new reactors, compared to 44 percent in 2010, according to a Field Poll taken in June. In the same poll, however, 56 percent said they thought the existing plants were safe (E&ENews PM, June 22).

The state Legislative Analyst's Office, which analyzed the proposal as part of its vetting for the ballot, found that closing the two plants could cost billions of dollars through electricity rate increases and disrupted grid reliability, potentially to the point of causing rolling blackouts. Davis disputed that, saying the state has enough generating capacity to decommission the plants with only a slight rate increase.

"Between now and 2012 is enough time to avoid any rolling blackouts, if they take this seriously," Davis said of state regulators.

A spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which owns Diablo Canyon, said the company did not yet have a position on the proposed measure. "We believe nuclear power is a key component to delivering a reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible mix of electricity to our customers," spokesman Tom Cuddy said.