MA Lawmakers Oppose Dumping Radioactive Water Into Cape Cod Bay

PLYMOUTH, MA — Four Massachusetts congress members are expressing their opposition towards the proposed idea of dumping 1 million gallons of radioactive water from Plymouth's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant into Cape Cod Bay.

Holtec International bought Plymouth's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in 2019 with plans to have the station decommissioned by 2024. The plant was shut down for good on May 31, 2019, after 47 years in service.

Now the question is raised on what to do with the remainder of the nuclear waste, and many fear the company will simply dump the water into Cape Cod Bay.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Bill Keating, and Rep. Seth Moulton sent a joint letter to Holtec Thursday urging the company to pursue other options.

"We write to express our opposition to the proposed discharge of radioactive water from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Pilgrim) into Cape Cod Bay," the letter obtained by NBC10 said.

"When evaluating the proper method of disposal, Holtec must consider the public's concerns surrounding and perception of the release of irradiated material into Cape Cod, especially when viable alternatives are available."

In early December, Holtec released a statement saying, "We wanted to share that in the near term the decision at Pilgrim has been made that the processed water will remain on-site, safely stored and that we will not discharge any processed water in 2022 while this evaluation is undertaken."

But with an accelerated deadline, lawmakers worry this plan could change at any moment.

The Cape Cod Times and Boston Globe reported Holtec told the NRC it planned to start discharging water into the Bay in early 2022, in batches of up to 20,000 gallons at a time.

In the past, Pilgrim has released water from the plant that contained radioactive waste, and it was all within federal guidelines. The lawmakers note that the volume of water is nearly three times greater now than the facility has discharged in any single year in the past.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will meet on Jan. 31 to further discuss plans with the wastewater. Members of Cape Downwinders, an organized group who say they protect public health and safety from the Pilgrim nuclear reactor dangers, will be attending and have invited several politicians to attend including Sen. Warren, Markey, Keating, and Attorney General Maura Healey.