Marty Wright (“That wave was needlessly exaggerated,” Aug. 21) is tired of the “what ifs” of those opposed to nuclear power. Here are a few facts that are real facts and have nothing to do with “what if”:

• It takes billions of gallons of water and massive amounts of electricity to make the nuclear fuel used to boil water in those reactors.

• The carbon footprint for creating and transporting that fuel is huge.

• The highly radioactive fuel has to be replaced every few years because it gets too radioactive and unstable to use in the reactors.

• What can no longer be used is dumped right there, so we have a nuclear waste dump right on our coast.

• This deadly waste keeps accumulating at about 30,000 pounds each year.

• As long as Diablo Canyon remains in operation, the waste will continue to accumulate.

• We ratepayers are paying for all of this, not just with our electricity bill but in taxes because so much of the industry is government subsidized.

Nuclear power makes absolutely no sense. It’s not cheap, and it’s not safe.

An honest estimate of the true cost of nuclear power has not been made, as there are too many unknowns left out of the equation. Including but not limited to: the cost of storing “spent fuel rods” for an eternity; lifelong medical care for people harmed by exposure to radioactive material released into the air; irrevocable damage to the land and marine environments.

For the most current updated information on how unsafe Diablo Canyon Power Plant is, I refer you to the press release of Aug. 25 from Friends of the Earth discussing the secret document from NRC federal inspector Michael Peck. He warns that Diablo is vulnerable to earthquakes and should be shut down until it is proven safe.

I highly recommend a story in New Times on this topic in the next issue. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

-- Simone Malboeuf - Los Osos