Citizens’ Petition Calling for Safety Investigation of Pilgrim Plant to be Delivered to State House

COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION

BOSTON – Anit-nuclear activists are traveling to the State House today to deliver a citizen’s petition to Governor Baker that calls for an investigation into the lack of safety oversight at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

The Cape Downwinders and more than 30 state-wide citizens’ organizations want elected officials to look into Entergy’s role in emergency shut downs of the plant’s reactor during winter storms earlier this year.

The petition will be delivered at 1 p.m. It will also be given to Attorney General Maura Healey, along with being sent to U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congressman William Keating.

The citizens petition is also demanding Pilgrim be preemptively shut down to avoid scrams, or emergency shutdowns, heading into the winter season.

“It is morally wrong to put the public at such unacceptable risk when a decision to preemptively shut down Pilgrim is the most prudent and responsible action to take,” said Diane Turco, the director of Cape Downwinders.

“It is a failure of government to allow Entergy, the worst nuclear operator running the worst nuclear reactor in the U.S., to have sole responsibility to make a decision which impacts the safety of millions. Who is accountable here?”

Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for plant owner Entergy, said safety is always their first concern and they remain confident the facility is ready for any storm that may come our way.

“We have winter storm procedures that we do follow and those do include shutting the place down if projected conditions in our area meet certain criteria,” he said.

O’Brien said they have taken such action in the past. He also said they stay in constant contact with the National Weather Service as storms approach.

Pilgrim is scheduled to shut down permanently in June 2019.

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