COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION
PLYMOUTH – Several Massachusetts lawmakers have written a letter to Holtec Decommissioning International expressing opposition to the potential discharge of radioactive water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station decommissioning process into Cape Cod Bay.
Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA 9th District), Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA 6th District) and Massachusetts Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren sent the joint letter, urging Holtec to consider alternative methods of disposal for the water.
They suggested utilizing out of state disposal facilities like those used by the NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Company during their work decommissioning the Vermont Yankee Power Plant.
The lawmakers also encouraged Holtec to engage with local residents and businesses on the potential impacts of the decommissioning process.
“The strong public opposition to news of the proposed discharge reflects Holtec’s failure to engage in the forthright, open, and transparent process that it promised the Plymouth community and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when it took over the operating license for the decommissioning of Pilgrim,” wrote the lawmakers in the letter.
“Holtec’s proposal to discharge approximately one million gallons of radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay would only further burden the community surrounding Pilgrim, which has already borne the negative environmental impacts of the nuclear plant for more than 40 years. Forcing this latest discharge upon the community would threaten the reputations and operations of the many businesses and organizations that rely on Cape Cod Bay’s reputation for clean and safe water.”
In a statement released in December, Holtec said that they would not be dumping radioactive water from the decommissioning process into Cape Cod Bay anytime soon, and that it was just one of many options to handle the wastewater.
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