Local activists are pushing House leaders on Beacon Hill to accept a budget amendment related to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
The amendment would create a commission on Pilgrim and, in effect, delay the possibility of Pilgrim owner Holtec discharging radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay.
The Pilgrim amendment is part of the Senate budget bill, but not the House bill. The bills are now in conference committee as lawmakers try to finalize the state budget, which was due July 1.
A similar measure on Pilgrim made it all the way to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk last fall, only to be vetoed. Now, activists are hoping for support from Gov. Maura Healey.
But first, they’ll have to win over House leaders.
Diane Turco of Save Our Bay, a coalition of groups and individuals who oppose the water discharge, said members of the coalition are flooding the House Ways and Means chair, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz (D-Boston), with phone calls.
She said that when she called Michlewitz’s office on Wednesday to ask for an update on the status of the amendment, “they said there were so many phone calls, they had put out a spreadsheet on it.”
The negotiations between the House and Senate are critical, she said. “This year, we are very confident that if it remains in the budget, that Gov. Healey will sign on.”
Sen. Susan Moran, who sponsored the amendment, said she hopes that Healey, who dealt with Holtec when she was attorney general, will lend her support to the proposed Pilgrim commission.
“I think the fact that there is a new governor who is familiar from her office with the behavior of Holtec … that's what gives me optimism in part here,” she said.
Holtec has proposed releasing about one million gallons of water as part of the plant decommissioning. The water would be treated to remove much of the radioactive material, but some would remain.
If approved, the Pilgrim commission would study the potential environmental and economic effects of releasing radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay. The legislation specifies various state offices that would be represented on the commission. The group would also include five scientists appointed by the governor from relevant fields.
The commission would have a deadline of Nov. 1, 2025 to file a report.
For local activists, the key part of the legislation is that it bars the state from issuing a water-discharge permit to Holtec until 30 days after the commission files the report.
Holtec spokesman Patrick O’Brien said the company is reserving comment until after the final budget is released.
