Opinion ID: 394177
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The PG&E Case

Text: 14 The second of these cases, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation & Development Commission (PG&E), presents a much broader challenge to California's regulatory scheme. The plaintiffs, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) and Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), both claimed that uncertainties caused by the Nuclear Laws and the Warren-Alquist Act had caused them to cancel plans to build nuclear plants. PG&E had cancelled a specific project known as Stanislaus, while SCE had abandoned general plans to build two nuclear plants at some future time. 15 As in the PLF case, PG&E and SCE (the utilities) moved for summary judgment. The court below found that summary judgment could not be granted on the issue of standing, since disputed factual issues remained to be resolved. Accordingly, the court held a trial to determine whether the utilities had standing. The court rejected the Energy Commission's argument that economic considerations had kept the utilities from building their proposed nuclear plants, and held that the utilities would have proceeded with their plans but for the Nuclear Laws and other provisions of the Warren-Alquist Act. The court thus concluded that the utilities had standing to sue. 16 Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(d), the court then granted summary judgment for the utilities on the merits of their claim. The court invalidated the Nuclear Laws in their entirety, invalidated the three-site requirement and the provisions regarding the acquisition of development rights, Cal.Pub.Res.Code §§ 25503, 25504, 25516, 25528, insofar as they applied to nuclear plants, and invalidated numerous other provisions of the Warren-Alquist Act 12 insofar as they touched upon matters which the court viewed as being within the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). As in PLF, the court held the challenged provisions to be preempted by the Atomic Energy Act. II