Protestors take land and sea at Morro Bay Harbor Festival

Posted: Oct 7, 2012 10:32 AM by Hope Hanselman, KSBY News
Updated: Oct 7, 2012 10:32 AM

Local activists are working to make their voices heard as they took a strong stance against plans for PG&E to conduct seismic testing near the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

Saturday, they protested at the Morro Bay Harbor Festival.
This comes even after PG&E reduced the area for the seismic studies. The group of environmentalists aren't ready to quiet down and theys ay they're not going to compromise.

Saturday, they made that clear to hundreds of visitors in Morro Bay.

Mandy Davis, spokesperson for Citizens Opposing Acoustic Seismic Testing, rounded up a crew and by foot, by paddle and by sail they flooded the harbor with one message.

"This is their home, boy if they're not taking a stand then holy moly," she said.

According to Mandy, this is a diverse group of people bound together by their shared concern.

Al Barrow, of Los Osos, paddled his kayak out to join them.

"I see a lot of these wildlife in the back bay when I go rowing," he said. "I see tons and they'll all be killed."

PG&E admits the testing will impact the environment, but they don't yet know long-term effects.

"As the research vessel enters the survey area, they'll start emitting low pulse sounds to warn marine life in the area," Blair Jones, spokesperson for PG&E, said. "Those sounds will slowly ramp up until we get to the level that's needed to preform the survey."

Their air cannons will shoot 250-decibal sounds through the water. They'll be used to create a 3-D image of the fault lines near the power plant, but they'll be strong enough to kill anything still living there. Protesters say that's enough to keep them marching on.

"There is so much at risk," Davis said.

The organization, C.O.A.S.T., will continue efforts to stop the seismic tests all together.

Next, they'll be a the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisor's meeting on Tuesday.

PG&E plans to start testing in mid-November.

For more information on C.O.A.S.T., click here.