Gov Baker is pulling a Gov Douglas of Vermont just before Vermont Yankee blew up. I'd say based on the history of the 2 stage, a leak is right around the corner. It could be leaking right now and they wouldn't tell us. He si painting himself in the corner. Maybe Entergy learned their lessen. Their interest always trump a sitting governors political interest. Wait till Baker figures out Entergy without a whim is going to screw him in the corporate interest. Entergy interacts with a lot of governors across the nation...I think this huge corporation hates all governors and politician whatever their political stripe.
The NE ISO with their extraordinary low market priced electricity for a year now is a indication we are over supplied with electricity. The real scandal is, why is your home electricity price so high. Is he blocking natural gas into Massachusetts. All these sources of electricity make too much profits. They spend enormous resources politically and regulatory sabotaging each others interest. The whole market of electricity and its energy sources is corrupt as hell. The outcome of sabotaging each other is high price electricity. They all make more profits per unit of energy. It is collusion!
Activists challenge Baker's response on plant closure
"We need to be in constant communication with ISO, which is the enterprise that oversees the New England energy grid, and make sure whatever it is that happens here happens as quickly and as appropriately and as safely as it possibly can," Baker said. "I am completely with people on that, but we also need to make sure that we don’t end up doing something that translates into rolling brownouts or, God forbid, blackouts here in the New England region.”
Now is the time for Massachusetts to plan, he said, to make sure an adequate flow of energy continues. "In the end, the NRC and ISO are going to have as much to say about when we actually shut down Pilgrim as anybody in our administration is," he said.
***October 22, 2015
MA Statehouse
Second Open Letter and Appeal to
Governor Baker to Intervene and
Call for Immediate Closure of the Pilgrim
Nuclear Power PlantCitizens Across the Commonwealth Call for Exercise of Executive Action to Preserve Public Safety.
Dear
Governor Baker,
With their recent comments and
the final decision by Entergy to close the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant in 2019, a new
set of urgent considerations have become paramount. Your administration reacted
quickly to proactively develop proposals to expand production of clean, renewable
power. Put in perspective, Pilgrim "offers
680 megawatts of the 31,000 available in New England" (Patriot Ledger).
Attention has also been focused on worker retraining, minimizing economic impact, and securing what the Boston Globe editorialized recently as "The Nuclear Graveyard", the nuclear waste dump at Plymouth. You also have spoken of challenges and opportunities to chart a new course. The future is bright if the right choices are made.
But your silence on the continued operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant for almost another four years is deafening and confounding. All that citizens hear is a Pilgrim "death rattle" at the beleaguered facility.
The Commonwealth is confronting a very real, public safety crisis, with five million citizens in harm's way. The primary issue surrounding Pilgrim is neither energy nor economics. It is public safety. Thus, it is a grievous mistake to keep Pilgrim operating in its dangerous, perilous state. Pilgrim needs to be closed immediately for an orderly shutdown, not in reaction to another emergency or disaster.
Let's be clear. Pilgrim still retains the lowest "degraded rating" of any USA nuclear plant, operating with the same depleted assets and poor management Entergy has officially written off the Plant on their balance sheet, refusing to fund required NRC safety improvements. As the storm clouds of danger continue to gather, we are at an impasse. Why? Nothing has been fixed and systemic failure is accelerating as closure looms. The recent trend for Pilgrim has been a downward spiral. Do any of the following events inspire confidence?
* A 22 year old fire code violation was recently discovered and the NRC has ordered a fire watch patrol in the nuclear control room (24/7) to sniff out smoke. Where was the NRC?
* The meteorological towers to detect the direction of nuclear releases, wasout repeatedly for three years. Never maintained. Still notfixed. Where was the NRC?
Attention has also been focused on worker retraining, minimizing economic impact, and securing what the Boston Globe editorialized recently as "The Nuclear Graveyard", the nuclear waste dump at Plymouth. You also have spoken of challenges and opportunities to chart a new course. The future is bright if the right choices are made.
But your silence on the continued operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant for almost another four years is deafening and confounding. All that citizens hear is a Pilgrim "death rattle" at the beleaguered facility.
The Commonwealth is confronting a very real, public safety crisis, with five million citizens in harm's way. The primary issue surrounding Pilgrim is neither energy nor economics. It is public safety. Thus, it is a grievous mistake to keep Pilgrim operating in its dangerous, perilous state. Pilgrim needs to be closed immediately for an orderly shutdown, not in reaction to another emergency or disaster.
Let's be clear. Pilgrim still retains the lowest "degraded rating" of any USA nuclear plant, operating with the same depleted assets and poor management Entergy has officially written off the Plant on their balance sheet, refusing to fund required NRC safety improvements. As the storm clouds of danger continue to gather, we are at an impasse. Why? Nothing has been fixed and systemic failure is accelerating as closure looms. The recent trend for Pilgrim has been a downward spiral. Do any of the following events inspire confidence?
* A 22 year old fire code violation was recently discovered and the NRC has ordered a fire watch patrol in the nuclear control room (24/7) to sniff out smoke. Where was the NRC?
* The meteorological towers to detect the direction of nuclear releases, wasout repeatedly for three years. Never maintained. Still notfixed. Where was the NRC?
* The failed and broken electric switchyard, never fixed, repeatedly cited, and
still on the brink of collapse with the next blizzard. Where was the NRC?
* After the Juno storm of 2015, failed safety relief valves (SRVs) were replaced with refurbished valves of a type previously removed by Pilgrim in 2010 for being defective and prone to leaking (More)
* With the news of the closure, the talent pool at Pilgrim is evaporating as resumes seek out new destinations. Those site specific skill sets at Pilgrim are weakening.
* Entergy's mindset to intensely minimize their expenses will be not be altered. If history is any lesson, only a steep decline in focus and resources can be expected to closure date.
Operating a nuclear reactor in this environment, to eke out any marginal benefit, is folly. When the next emergency shutdown strikes, assuming no fatalities/injuries, do you "press" the bet again? It is like the Commonwealth running a high wire act with the NRC as an unreliable and slow to respond "spotter"- who can't prevent the big fall.
* After the Juno storm of 2015, failed safety relief valves (SRVs) were replaced with refurbished valves of a type previously removed by Pilgrim in 2010 for being defective and prone to leaking (More)
* With the news of the closure, the talent pool at Pilgrim is evaporating as resumes seek out new destinations. Those site specific skill sets at Pilgrim are weakening.
* Entergy's mindset to intensely minimize their expenses will be not be altered. If history is any lesson, only a steep decline in focus and resources can be expected to closure date.
Operating a nuclear reactor in this environment, to eke out any marginal benefit, is folly. When the next emergency shutdown strikes, assuming no fatalities/injuries, do you "press" the bet again? It is like the Commonwealth running a high wire act with the NRC as an unreliable and slow to respond "spotter"- who can't prevent the big fall.
You
have publicly stated your trust in the NRC experts. Your trust has been
sadly misplaced with the belated disclosure of long standing and unreported
failings, and lack of enforcement at Pilgrim.
Citizens across the State truly understand the gravity of the situation. We petition and implore you, once again, as Chief Safety Officer for the Commonwealth and the responsibilities invested in you, to respond to this petition as the evidence demonstrates a very clear and present danger to the people of Massachusetts and beyond. We need decisive and strong leadership immediately to provide to us the protection the situation demands. Demand the NRC to CLOSE PILGRIM NOW.
Citizens across the State truly understand the gravity of the situation. We petition and implore you, once again, as Chief Safety Officer for the Commonwealth and the responsibilities invested in you, to respond to this petition as the evidence demonstrates a very clear and present danger to the people of Massachusetts and beyond. We need decisive and strong leadership immediately to provide to us the protection the situation demands. Demand the NRC to CLOSE PILGRIM NOW.
God
speed in your deliberation.
Sincerely,
On
Behalf of MA Downwinders
Diane
Turco, Cape Downwinders, Harwich/Cape
Cod tturco@comcast.net
Guntram Mueller, Boston Downwinders, MA Peace Action, Newton/Boston guntrammueller1@gmail.com Sheila Parks, On Behalf of planet Earth Watertown/Boston sheilaparks@comcast.net John Gaulley, Occupy Hingham South Shore quillena@glastonburyabbey.org Bruce Skud, No More Fukushimas Newburyport/ North Shore bskud@verizon.net Yvonne Baracos, Down Cape Downwinders Wellfleet/Outer Cape abilyoyo1@aol.com
Guntram Mueller, Boston Downwinders, MA Peace Action, Newton/Boston guntrammueller1@gmail.com Sheila Parks, On Behalf of planet Earth Watertown/Boston sheilaparks@comcast.net John Gaulley, Occupy Hingham South Shore quillena@glastonburyabbey.org Bruce Skud, No More Fukushimas Newburyport/ North Shore bskud@verizon.net Yvonne Baracos, Down Cape Downwinders Wellfleet/Outer Cape abilyoyo1@aol.com
cc
Senate President Stan RosenbergSenator Daniel Wolf Representative Sarah Peake
Senator Vincent DeMacedo
Secretary of Energy and Environment Matt Beaton
MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz
Attorney General Maura Healey
Senator Edward Markey
Senator Elizabeth Warren
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