While Gov. Newsom has already pledged to support Pacific Gas & Electric’s nuclear plant, now that it’s estimated to cost a whopping $12 billion, Californians are begging the Democratic leader to withdraw from the deal before it’s too late.

In 2022, California Legislature, including a sign off by Newsom, approved a plan to extend Diablo Canyon’s operating license for another five years to expire in 2030. Additionally, the Golden State’s government agreed to continue funding billions of dollars to keep PG&E’s Diablo Canyon running.

What’s especially exciting for California’s government about PG&E’s nuclear power production is that it releases zero carbon emissions into the air, making it one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources on Earth.

But in order to truly utilize nuclear power to replace fossil fuels, California would need a whole lot more of it. Some say California should fund and focus on building more reactors to power the state, whereas others argue it’s far too expensive and not the best option for California’s green energy initiative.

But just two years later, the governor is struggling to make this plan a reality. And although Newsom claimed the plan would save Californians money, it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to live in the Golden State.

But things have changed since the initial approval. By May 2023, just six months after California and Newsom approved the funding for Diablo Canyon, the estimated operational costs were still $5.2 billion. But by February 2024, that estimation had skyrocketed to $8.1 billion, and in March, they reportedly said it would cost an almost unbelievable $11.8 billion to run until 2030 as planned.

They believe that spending billions on nuclear energy is a huge mistake. EWG published an article last week that said, “Now the public knows the actual price tag (at least what PG&E is currently admitting) is closer to $12 billion. And that figure excludes all of the enormously expensive safety improvements nuclear experts insist are needed for the two nuclear reactors.”

PG&E contests that the current estimate is only $8.3 billion, and that, more importantly, the “financial benefits exceed the costs.” They wholeheartedly believe that funding the nuclear power plant could save California from the effects of climate change and is worth every penny.

According to the state’s Department of Justice, California is already seeing rising sea levels and coastal flooding, water shortages due to minimal snowfall, intensified wildfires, extensive storms, flash floods, damage to agriculture, and rising temperatures. If nothing is done, it will get far worse for California in the very near future.

From electricity bills to taxes, Californians pay more than Americans who live in almost any other state. To make matters worse, California doesn’t even offer tax breaks to residents using green energy sources, like solar and wind, as other states do.

The Golden State has one of the highest costs of living in the US, and many residents either cannot afford to live there any more or are simply tired of spending all their hard earned money on taxes, rent, utilities, and groceries.

Whether or not the governor will retract his approval of the PG&E nuclear power plant funding is yet to be seen but it seems unlikely. The governor and the California government seem set on their plan to spend a fortune on green energy, even if it means losing residents in the process.