A Question of Power

Presidential hopefuls are already crisscrossing California in their quest for support in the state's June 8 primary.

But when California's 7,340,000 registered voters go to the polls next week, many of them will be more concerned with power than politics. The voters must decide whether to answer yes or no to a ballot question called Proposi tion 15. A no vote would give utilities the green light to build more nuclear plants to meet the state's burgeoning demands for energy. A yes vote would both deter nuclear-plant construction in California and strengthen efforts to block such building in several other states.

The first statewide test of public confidence in nuclear power, Proposition 1 5 is not a proposal to outlaw atomic plants outright. But the measure would bar the construction in California over the next two decades of some 30 new plants, un less they met stringent safety standards and won approval by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the state's legislature.

The measure could also force the closing of the three nuclear plants now operating in California. Existing plants would be forbidden to operate at more than 60% of capacity, unless federal limits on insurance liability were abolished; also the power output of these plants would be reduced by an additional 10% a year, unless two-thirds of the state's legislators endorsed their waste-disposal and safety measures.

Bitter Battle. The battle over Proposition 15 has been bitter. Supporters of the initiative say that present safety requirements are inadequate to protect the public from the dangers of a reactor accident, which, they charge, could kill thousands of people instantly, cause hundreds of thousands more to die later of cancer, and contaminate buildings and land for thousands of years.

Nuclear proponents have been equally extravagant and intemperate in their arguments. Supported by the nuclear industry and power companies, they have forecast massive unemployment, lowered living standards and run away electricity bills if Californians say no to nukes. They have also opposed legislation now under consideration by the state's lawmakers that could make many of the arguments over Proposition 15 moot by stiffening safety standards.

Recent polls suggest that fear of in creased electric bills or power shortages if the nuclear plants are not built have given the pro-nuke forces an edge as the voting nears. But some experienced politicians are hedging their bets. Former Governor Edmund ("Pat") Brown recently did a television commercial for the pro-nuclear forces. He then contributed his fee to one of Proposition 15's backers -- the Sierra Club.

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