MORAN PUSHES FOR INCREASED TESTING, ANS TRANSPARENCY, AT NUCLEAR PLANT DECOMMISSIONING
(09/26/2022 - PLYMOUTH) On Monday evening, Senator Moran (D-Falmouth) joined a coalition of clean water advocates, local officials, and neighbors to speak in front of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (NDCAP) in opposition to Holtec International’s efforts to obtain permission to dump one million gallons of nuclear wastewater into Cape Cod Bay.
As part of a congressional subcommittee meeting earlier this year, Senator Moran testified along with members of the federal Cape Cod delegation and secured a commitment from Holtec to submit the spent fuel pool water for third-party testing. During the public hearing, the Senator reiterated the concerns she had heard from constituents regarding the overall legitimacy of the testing process. She stated that she will continue pushing for expanded testing of pre-treated and untreated water.
“Involving an impartial third party is crucial,” Sen. Moran said. “Many uncertainties still exist surrounding what is being tested for and what that means for public health and our environment. We must know what is in the water and what impacts its’ disposal would have on the region.”
Senator Moran and her office had been approached with concerns from many of the advocates regarding the public confidence of the transparency of the samples being tested, which led to a meeting earlier this month Senator Moran organized with state officials.
“There was low confidence in the legitimacy of any water samples from the spent fuel rod pool,” said Senator Moran.” “I am happy to report that we secured a commitment from DPH to be present during all water sampling, ensuring a high level of transparency and oversight throughout this process.”
The panel, formed by the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs in 2017, is tasked with advising the Governor on the status of the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, located in Manomet village in Plymouth. Meeting for the fifth time this year, the focus of the evening was on the pollutant testing process and ensuring that any waste generated during the decommissioning process is thoroughly vetted for safety.
Senator Moran has partnered with her colleagues in the Legislature, the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Public Health, the Attorney General’s office, and the federal delegation to proactively seek paths towards addressing these concerns. Most recently, the Senator was successful in having an amendment adopted to the Senate economic development bill that would establish a special commission to study the impacts of spent fuel pool water into Cape Cod Bay. The Senator is continuing to advocate to have this language included in the final package or as a separate legislative initiative.
“I have continued to meet with advocates and state officials, as recently as Friday, to hear and address the many outstanding concerns related to the decommissioning process,” said Sen. Moran. “We need to continue to stay vigilant and push for extensive testing. We now can see first-hand what can happen, as is happening in New Jersey, where Oyster Creek plant has discharged 24,000 gallons of water from their cooling plant in September alone.”
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