The State - News from May 16, 1989

Two firms involved with creating problem-plagued Rancho Seco have agreed to operate the nuclear power plant jointly with the municipal utility that owns it, officials said. Sacramento Municipal Utility District officials said they would support the proposed 5 1/2-year contract with Bechtel, the plant’s architect and engineer, and Babcock & Wilcox, which built the reactor. The agreement, they said, would lead to greater plant efficiency and savings on customers’ bills. But opponents maintain that the plant is unsafe and condemned the proposal as a political ploy. Voters will be asked June 6 whether the district should shut down the 913-megawatt plant.