Voters in Eastham, Massachusetts, the site of the decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, voted overwhelmingly in favor of asking Gov. Charlie Baker to amp up security at the plant.
In a local election held Tuesday, over one-fifth of the less-than-5,000 person town agreed to “direct the local government to request that Governor Baker and the State Legislature employ all means available” to ensure that:
- Spent nuclear fuel is secured in better quality dry casks and hardened, on-site storage; and
- Spent fuel pool and casks are protected with heightened security at the decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant to prevent intrusion in order to protect the health, welfare, and economic interests of the Town of Eastham and its inhabitants and visitors.
The town’s planning board passed the petition at a meeting Sept. 26, citing concerns over national security and radioactive contamination “rendering our communities uninhabitable” in the instance of a terrorist attack targeting the casks, for example.
While state governments do have more sway than local governments in issues surrounding nuclear storage facilities, the bulk of regulatory decisions come from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
Holtec International acquired the plant from Entergy in August 2019 and plans to complete decommissioning by 2027.
