Heather Hoff, Mothers for Nuclear Co-Founder, December '23
Heather Hoff, Mothers for Nuclear Co-Founder
Meet HEather hoff, the Diablo Canyon warrior fighting to reduce the gender gap in support of nuclear energy.
Heather Hoff, a nuclear operator at Diablo Canyon, and the co-founder of Mothers for Nuclear, which helped extend the lifetime of the plant.
Everyone told her it could not be done. Despite fighting an uphill battle, Heather Hoff, through her efforts with the organization she founded, Mothers for Nuclear, helped save Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, where she works as an operator.
At least for a while. When the California Public Utilities Commission granted an extension for Diablo in December, it was only for 5 more years. The fight for Diablo’s longer term operation past that date isn’t over.
When they began their advocacy, Hoff and co-founder Kristen Zaitz wanted to fill a hole in nuclear energy communications by sharing a mother’s point of view– empathetic and listening to concerns.
“We can say we care for the future. These are our babies, here's my little baby Zoey. I want to protect the world for her future,” Hoff said. “And I want her to be able to see whales and animals that are endangered and have access to open space. Mothers have a really powerful message in terms of their hope for the future because we have our children that we want to experience a good life.”
Seven years ago, when Mothers for Nuclear started to advocate for Diablo, Hoff said that it felt like a brave endeavor– as operators they were essentially advocating against their company, since PG&E wanted to shut down the plant.
Hoff said that Mothers for Nuclear also aims to persuade women of nuclear energy’s merits to reduce the gender gap in support of the energy source. Their advocacy is based on sharing information on nuclear energy through personal storytelling.
More recently, Mothers for Nuclear partnered with North Carolina State University and a tribal coalition to develop better ways to store used fuel from rafters. They also received a consent based siting award from the DOE.
The mission of Mothers for Nuclear, according to Hoff, is to build a global community in support of clean energy.
“It doesn't have to be nuclear, nuclear just happens to be the best. We care about climate change, air pollution, and energy poverty,” Hoff said. “We want to preserve existing nuclear, build more nuclear and to advance the technology. And do all that by communicating differently at the base level of public opinion.”
To achieve these goals, groups have established Mothers for Nuclear chapters around the world. The organization as a whole is volunteer based and does not take money from industry. With most members having full time jobs, their work comes from a sense of passion for the climate and the future.
Before working as a nuclear operator and advocating for nuclear energy, Hoff believed that living a difficult life, filled with sacrifices was the best way to protect the planet.
Hoff grew up in rural Arizona with little resources. Her parents held memberships to every environmental nonprofit she could think of.
She loved nature and the outdoors in a family focused on conserving energy and efficiency. They had a composting toilet, much to the embarrassment of Hoff when she had friends over and a well that did not produce much water. Summers, without air conditioning, could be uncomfortable in the Arizona desert heat.
“So I thought that, that was the way that we should protect the planet– everyone just using less and having a harder lifestyle,” Hoff said. But I got very frustrated as I grew up, because I would try and convince people to turn off lights or save water and that they didn't want to. They don't want to be like me, they don't want to have a harder life.”
After college, as she searched for her purpose, Hoff briefly worked at a winery and a clothing store. Despite the concerns of friends and family, including her mother who was worried about her “reproductive years”, Hoff took a job as an operator at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. After 6 years of curiosity and asking questions, she came to believe nuclear is an amazing source of energy– providing a huge amount of clean power on a small footprint.
She said that she had found her purpose. With time, she found that working as an operator was not enough– she had to fight for this source of clean energy. Addressing fear and the way industry communicated to the public became priorities with Mothers for Nuclear.
While the Mothers for Nuclear team celebrated the victory that was saving Diablo Canyon from premature closure, they knew they still had much work to do to change perception of nuclear power in California and beyond. Hoff said this can start with both fear and gender.
“We want to help people who are skeptical about nuclear change their minds and show them how we did it. Our fear can be kind of misplaced and cause us to make decisions in an emotional way,” Hoff said. “Men support it, but women don't. And why is that? Because there hasn't been someone talking to women in ways that they want to receive a message. We have a great role to play in kind of filling that gap.”