nuclear-news

State of Massachusetts appeals to revoke license extension for Pilgrim nuclear plant

an appeals court ruled that the agency failed to fully evaluate risks associated with its regulations on the storage of spent nuclear fuel 

The NRC in May granted a 20-year license extension to the Pilgrim plant, located in Plymouth. In its filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston, the state seeks to vacate the license renewal and require the commission to prepare an environmental impact statement.

NRC License of Nuclear Plant Challenged by Massachusetts, Bloomberg News By David McLaughlin June 19, 2012 Massachusetts, in an appeal of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision to relicense Entergy Corp. (ETR) (ETR)’s Pilgrim nuclear power station, asked to have the extension for the facility 40 miles south of Boston canceled pending further review.

The state seeks to require the commission to take steps to ensure the safety of the plant and the residents of the surrounding communities, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said yesterday in a statement.

“The NRC, over our objections, chose to relicense Pilgrim without fully considering the important safety issues raised in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident,” she said, referring to the nuclear disaster last year in Japan.

Separately yesterday, 22 groups and two individuals said they petitioned the NRC to suspend final licensing decisions for almost three dozen nuclear reactors, after an appeals court ruled that the agency failed to fully evaluate risks associated with its regulations on the storage of spent nuclear fuel and must draft new ones. The NRC shouldn’t complete its licensing decisions until satisfying its environmental review obligations, they said in a statement.

20-Year Extension
The NRC in May granted a 20-year license extension to the Pilgrim plant, located in Plymouth. In its filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston, the state seeks to vacate the license renewal and require the commission to prepare an environmental impact statement.
The state said it wanted the NRC before granting the renewal to
reevaluate the environmental impacts and risks of operating the plant
in the wake of Fukushima….. The case is Commonwealth of
Massachusetts v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit (Boston)….
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-18/nrc-license-of-nuclear-plant-challenged-by-massachusetts

June 20, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA