During a public meeting tonight, Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff can expect continued calls to shut down Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts.
Cape Downwinders — a group of residents from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket who have long protested operation of the beleaguered plant – said they plan to “come out in full force” to Plymouth for the plant’s annual assessment meeting, which will also serve as an exit meeting for a recent special inspection at Pilgrim. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Memorial Hall in Plymouth.
The special inspection stemmed from Pilgrim’s safety downgrade in 2015 to Category 4 of the NRC’s Action Matrix, which is the lowest rating for an operating nuclear reactor. The 45-year-old plant, which has experienced a series of operational failures and unplanned shutdowns dating to 2013, is scheduled for closure in 2019.
Cape Downwinders in an email blast Monday again called on Gov. Charlie Baker and other state officials to demand that the regulator revoke Entergy’s operating license “due to ongoing violations of federal safety standards and unacceptable risks to the public.”
“Governor Baker, as the state chief public safety officer, must acknowledge the NRC will not protect citizens from an accident because Entergy’s bottom line is their priority,” Cape Downwinders President Diane Turco said in a statement. “Our elected officials must stand up and speak out for public safety and demand the NRC do their job and close Pilgrim NOW.”
The NRC, in a March 10 public notice for the meeting, said “threatening language will not be tolerated and will be cause for removal from the meeting by local law enforcement. In addition, individuals who repeatedly disrupt the meeting will be removed from the auditorium.” The regulator also laid out guidelines for what signs, banners, posters, and displays will be allowed inside the event venue.
