PLYMOUTH – Environmental advocates are looking to legislation passed in 1971 to halt a potential discharge of one million gallons of radioactive wastewater from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into Cape Cod Bay.
Association to Preserve Cape Cod Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb said the Ocean Sanctuaries Act prevents the discharge of industrial waste into the Bay, and Holtec International is no exception.
“We’re calling on the Healey Administration to simply notify Holtec sooner rather than later that the permit application they filed cannot be processed because they are not legally eligible for the permit they seek, and then we can put this whole issue to bed,” said Gottlieb.
Holtec International previously stated that it would move ahead with permit application processes that would grant it the ability to discharge the water into Cape Cod Bay.
“Holtec should think long and hard before they take on the legal challenges involved with suing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Should the process continue, we are prepared to fully participate in the permit process, and we’ll reserve all of our rights to litigate.”
Holtec representatives said at previous meetings of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel that they would abide by all legal requirements in how it handles the one million gallons of wastewater.