SEC. 3.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because, currently, the Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 powerplant, owned and operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, is the last operating nuclear powerplant in California, and, on June 21, 2016, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced a joint proposal governing the retirement of Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2, which included an orderly replacement of electricity from generating resources that do not emit greenhouse gases and an employee retention severance program, and which was signed by interested parties. Local communities were ill-prepared and given no notice after the sudden closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was announced on June 7, 2013, and the state is still responding, at significant cost, to the sudden, permanent, and unexpected loss of greenhouse-gas-free electricity. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure: (a) that the replacement electricity for the electricity lost due to the retirement of the Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 powerplant does not result in an increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases and (b) that a community impact mitigation settlement and an employee retention program are approved by the Public Utilities Commission and implemented expeditiously to ensure sustainable levels of host community support, emergency preparedness, and skilled employee retention necessary to the safe operation of the powerplant through the planned retirement date.