Congresswoman Lois Capps. Democrats on Capitol Hill want a
hearing to examine the safety of nuclear power plants in the
United States. A California Congresswoman is asking whether the
San Onofre and Diablo Canyon nuclear power plants are tough
enough to survive a big quake and its aftermath. The Diablo
Canyon nuclear plant north of Santa Barbara operates in the
district of Democratic Congresswoman Lois Capps. She has written
to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ask whether
Diablo Canyon can withstand the “sort of earthquakes scientists
predict” it could experience. Capps says she's "been concerned
for a while because since the last review of the licensing,
there’s been a whole new fault discovered. So that on top of
events in Japan, I want a thorough review of their preparedness
and their ability to respond." Capps says Diablo Canyon is built
to withstand a 7.5-magnitude quake. PG&E, which operates the
plant, says it was built on an 85-foot bluff to protect it from
tsunamis. One of the reactors at