Gene Nelson ’73
October 2, 2026
I continue in my advocacy for extended operations of California’s only nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP). During the past decade, I’ve invested about 30,000 hours on this important project. I will be 75 in January. In 2013, I helped to found the independent nonprofit, Californians for Green Nuclear Power, Inc. (CGNP.) My work was featured in one chapter in Atomic Dreams: The New Nuclear Evangelists and the Fight for the Future of Energy by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (2025) https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Dreams-Nuclear-Evangelists-Future/dp/1643753150 The chapter that focuses on my advocacy is titled, “The Guy in the Headband.” On 2 April 2026, the NRC granted DCPP’s owners a license extension to 2045. CGNP was unable to get their draft DCPP extension language adopted by the California legislature during 2026. We’re currently working on the 2027 language. CGNP’s GreenNUKE Substack at https://greennuke.substack.com/ with over 50 of my technical articles shows the relevance of my HMC coursework.