Lawmakers write in support of local residents and Massachusetts Attorney General petitions

Washington (August 21, 2019) – Massachusetts Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and Representative William Keating (MA-09) wrote to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to urge that it delay ruling on the proposed license transfer for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station from Entergy to Holtec until after the Commission considers and rules on extant petitions and motions. These petitions, filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office and by Pilgrim Watch, a local residents group, request that the NRC allows the petitioners to intervene and participate in hearings on the license transfer. The motion was filed by the Attorney General’s office and requests an extended period of time in which the Commonwealth can submit an application to stay the license transfer, if it is officially approved by the NRC staff. The transfer is expected to be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on or around today, August 21. The Commonwealth and local stakeholders have requested additional time to conduct settlement negotiations with Holtec, which has refused to develop a Memorandum of Understanding on issues important to community safety. 

“The Commission has prioritized nuclear industry timelines over the public interest throughout the license transfer and decommissioning process, and it appears to be moving forward without regard for the repeated expression of stakeholder concerns,” write the lawmakers in the letter. “As Holtec and Entergy refuse to sit down and discuss the transfer with involved state and local parties, the Commission’s intervention is increasingly necessary for transparency and a rigorous evaluation of the transfer request.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE. 

In March 2019, Senator Markey led a letter with Senator Warren and Rep. Keating expressing concerns over the license transfer proposal. 

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