Anti-Pilgrim Activists To Rally At State House, Calling For Immediate Closure

massachusetts-state-house-300x198BOSTON – Opponents of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant will rally on Beacon Hill tomorrow, calling for the immediate closure of the Plymouth station.

Activists are calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to shut down the plant now, citing safety concerns. Station owner Entergy will close the plant no latter than June of 2019, saying the plant is no longer financially viable.

“The public safety issues remain,” said longtime opponent Diane Turco of the Cape Downwinders, an anti-Pilgrim activist group. “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has failed Pilgrim and Entergy in all their inspections this year. This is a serious public safety issue and Pilgrim needs to be closed now, not in 2019.”

Pilgrim was placed under additional oversight earlier this year by the NRC after failing a safety inspection following an unplanned shutdown during the January blizzard. The plant reportedly needs millions of dollars in safety upgrades.

“The worst nuclear power plant in the country is going to continue operating on a shoe-string budget and public confidence has eroded,” said Arlene Williamson, a Cape Downwinders member. “The risk of a [disaster] taking place at Pilgrim will only increase as experienced workers seek employment elsewhere, severe winter storms approach and identified mechanical failures are ignored. More scrams and equipment failures are bound to happen.”

A number of legislators are expected to address the crowd, including Cape and Islands State Senator Dan Wolf. Protesters will deliver a letter to Governor Charlie Baker regarding safety issues at the plant.

The event runs from 1-3 pm Thursday at the Grand Staircase inside at the State House.

Speak Your Mind

*



CapeCod.com
737 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Contact Us | Advertise Terms of Use 
Employment and EEO | Privacy