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Opponents seek expedited handling of Pilgrim Nuclear water-discharge case

Seth Rolbein of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance speaks against the proposed discharge of water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during a press conference near Plymouth Rock. With him are state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, center, and Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. Oct. 2, 2024.
Jennette Barnes
/
CAI
Seth Rolbein of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance speaks against the proposed discharge of water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during a press conference near Plymouth Rock. With him are state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, center, and Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Oct. 2, 2024.

Parties seeking to intervene in a state appeals case over the fate of radioactive water inside the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station held a press conference Wednesday near Plymouth Rock.

The owner of Pilgrim, Holtec International, is appealing a state permit denial that could block the company’s plans to discharge the water into Cape Cod Bay.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is leading one of several efforts to gain legal standing to participate in the administrative appeal, which is similar to a court case.

Speaking at the press conference, Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, said Holtec should accept that its permit was denied.

“They could take the denial and find a proper way to dispose of the wastewater and remove the uncertainty that they've created,” he said. “So they are really penalizing the people of Plymouth with their delay tactics.”

Holtec counters that delays have happened because the opposition created uncertainty in the permitting timeline.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod has asked Holtec to request an expedited schedule for the appeal. Without it, an appeal of this complexity could take 18 to 24 months, Gottlieb said.

State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a Democrat running for state Senate, organized the press conference in the hometown of his Republican opponent, state Rep. Mathew Muratore.

But the focus was on Pilgrim, which aims to release about 1 million gallons of water into the bay as part of the plant decommissioning.

The water would be treated, but treatment cannot remove 100 percent of the radioactive material and other contaminants. The nuclear reactor was shut down in 2019.

Follow all our coverage of the decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

Fernandes said protecting Cape Cod Bay is critical.

“The stakes are high,” he said. “The blue economy in Plymouth and on the Cape and Islands is worth $1.4 billion, supports over 200,000 jobs, and it depends on the cleanliness of our waters.”

Speaking on behalf of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Seth Rolbein said the group opposes the discharge of the water.

“Fishermen are the blue economy,” he said. “And fishermen understand how important the health of our waters, and of what we choose to gather and harvest in the common wealth, which is this amazing harbor and bay, is toward the health of our community.”

Asked to respond, Holtec spokesman Patrick O’Brien said releasing the reactor-system water into the bay is safe. He said the ongoing opposition is delaying the company’s cleanup of the Pilgrim property in Plymouth.

“Our goal to clean-up Pilgrim in 8 years has already been delayed as a result of the challenges to safe discharges, which had occurred for over 45 years of plant operation and are regulated by the [Nuclear Regulatory Commission],” he said in an email.

While the debate rages, the Pilgrim water is evaporating into the outdoor air.

Although opponents’ discussion of the Pilgrim water often focuses on radioactivity in the water, radioactivity is not part of the reasoning the state used to deny Holtec a permit to discharge the water.

The state based its decision on the Ocean Sanctuaries Act, which prohibits new discharges of industrial wastewater into a designated sanctuary, including Cape Cod Bay.

The appeal will be decided by a presiding officer of the Office of Appeals and Dispute Resolution, which is part of the Department of Environmental Protection but operates in a quasi-independent manner.

The department says it tries to resolve appeals within a year.

First, the appeals office will need to determine whether any of the seven entities that have filed to participate in the case — organizations, individuals, mixed groups of both, and the towns of Barnstable and Plymouth — qualify to do so. The office has no particular deadline to take that action.

Jennette Barnes is a reporter and producer. Named a Master Reporter by the New England Society of News Editors, she brings more than 20 years of news experience to CAI.