Pilgrim Coalition
In This Issue
Citizens File Notice of Intent to Sue, Allege Entergy May Be Liable for $831 Million in Damages
Mary Lampert Honored
New Pilgrim Watch Report
Sign the Governor's Petition
Town of Plymouth Nuclear Matters Advisory Committee
Cape Emergency Planning
Member in Action: Genevieve Byrne
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Coalition Members
  • Pilgrim Coalition
  • Cape Cod Bay Watch
  • Cape Downwinders
  • Clean Water Action
  • Freeze Pilgrim
  • Jones River Watershed Association
  • Mass Peace Action
  • MassPIRG
  • Mass Sierra Club
  • Pilgrim MUST
  • Pilgrim Watch
  • Safe and Green Campaign (MA)
  • Social Justice Committee - Duxbury
  • Social Action Committee - Plymouth
  • South Shore Citizens for Peaceful Solutions
  • Toxics Action Center
  • Veterans for Peace, Cape Cod (Corporal Jeffrey M. Lucy Chapter)
  • Cape Codders for Peace and Justice
  • PIlgrim Anti-Nuclear Action
  • News Update
    October 2012

    Entergy Water Pollution at Pilgrim Nuclear is Subject of Federal Notice of Intent to Sue for $831 Million in Penalties; Residents Also Tell State They Will Sue for Damage to the Environment  


    Plymouth, MA - Entergy's Pilgrim nuclear reactor is violating the Clean Water Act, according to a notice letter sent by local residents to the company, the U.S. EPA, and state officials on October 5, 2012. Read more here. 

     

    Based on months of painstaking research by volunteers, the letter claims Entergy's own reports show that since 1996 there have been 33,253 violations of the federal Clean Water Act. This means Entergy could be liable for up to $831,325,000.00 in civil penalties for polluting Cape Cod Bay.  The letter is a "notice of intent to sue" that is a prerequisite to a lawsuit.  If the U.S. EPA doesn't act within 60 days, the residents can file a lawsuit to collect penalties and stop the pollution.

     

    In May, 2012, when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave Entergy a license to operate Pilgrim for another 20 years, it refused to address water pollution issues raised by citizen groups.  It also relicensed Pilgrim even though its federal Clean Water Act permit expired 16 years ago.  The NRC said water pollution issues have to be addressed by the environmental agencies, not the NRC.  The citizens' October 5, 2012 letter is a response to the failure of the NRC and state and federal agencies to do their jobs. 

     

    Click here to read the full press release. 

    Pilgrim Watch Founder Mary Lampert Receives Leadership Award from Clean Water Action

    Mary Watch, director of Pilgrim Watch, being honored by Clean Water Action.
    Center: Mary Lampert, director of Pilgrim Watch, being honored Sept. 30 by Clean Water Action. Left: Anna Baker of Pilgrim Coalition, Right: Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action.
    On September 30, Clean Water Action presented Mary Lampert, founder and director of Pilgrim Watch, with the prestigious John O'Connor Grassroots Leadership Award for her outstanding advocacy on issues of nuclear safety surrounding Entergy's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth. For nearly 30 years, Lampert has been a brilliant and tireless watchdog on the local, state and federal levels on all issues relating to Pilgrim.

     

    The award was given at Clean Water Action's 40th anniversary event at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Anna Baker of Marshfield, a founder of the Pilgrim Coalition, introduced Lampert and said, "Mary often devotes more than 50-plus hours of volunteer time a week toward fending off dangers from the reactor. She is both a mother and a grandmother. Needless to say, she's quite the awesome community member and citizen activist." 
     
    Lampert led Pilgrim Watch as a party in legal proceedings to stop the Pilgrim relicensing in May. She has served on numerous committees and boards for local, national and environmental organizations.

    In addition to Pilgrim Watch, Lampert also created the Duxbury Nuclear Advisory Committee, which has helped advise her hometown on nuclear matters for 22 years. 
     
    Both Pilgrim Watch and Clean Water Action are members of the Pilgrim Coalition.
    Pilgrim Watch Releases Important Report on Pilgrim
    Pilgrim Watch 2012 Report
    Graphic Credit: Pilgrim Watch 20120 Update:
    Pilgrim Risks and Daily Operations
    The nuclear watchdog group, Pilgrim Watch, has released an important, in depth report, "Pilgrim Watch-2012 Update: Pilgrim Risks and Daily Operations." Click here to access the report.
     
    The report is a must-read for anyone looking to get up to speed on what's actually happening at Entergy's Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth. It gives a description of how boiling water reactors work, how an accident might occur and what the consequences would be, risks and harm to human health and the environment from daily operations, federal government oversight and opportunities for public participation, and energy needs. Filled with charts, citations, and suggestions, this report explains the issues in a way we can all understand, and forms the basis for taking informed, strategic actions to ensure Pilgrim is operated in a safe and sound manner, and that risks are appropriately addressed.
    Sign Your Name: Cape Cod Bay Watch Is Petitioning Governor and State Official to Take Action on Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station 
    Cape Cod Bay Watch is petitioning Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Richard Sullivan, asking them to take action to enforce the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws relating to protection of Cape Cod Bay from Pilgrim. Please sign the petition and help protect the bay!
    Public Welcome to Attend Meetings for Town of Plymouth Nuclear Matters Advisory Committee
    Pilgrim Coalition aims to spread the word about what's happening around the region with regard to Pilgrim. One important monthly meeting is the Town of Plymouth Nuclear Matters Advisory Committee. It usually meets the third Monday of every month at the PACTV offices in Plymouth. The next meetings are: Oct. 15 at and Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Please join members of Pilgrim Coalition and learn what's happening in Plymouth.
    No Escape from the Cape
    Bourne Bridge, Cape Cod A top state official told Cape Cod residents earlier this month that his agency would work with a Cape committee to address their fear: what would happen if there was an accident at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. 

     

    Cape residents told Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, their concerns during a two-hour meeting on Oct. 3 in Harwich.  

     

    "This is more than about politics and policies. This IS about our families, our future, and the land that we love," said Cape Downwinders/PANA in a statement. 

     

    The meeting was initiated by members of the Cape Downwinders and the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee. 

     

    The groups are worried the current Cape Cod traffic plan for major storms and other events does not address accidents at the Plymouth power plant. Further, they say the existing plan has references to diverting traffic away from the Sagamore Bridge in case of congestion on the other side of the Cape Cod Canal. There are other concerns as well, such as a 10-mile emergency zone around the Plymouth plant. 
     
     
     
    Member in Action: Genevieve Byrne

    "...important cause of protecting Cape Cod Bay."

    Genevieve Byrne Genevieve Byrne is pleased to be a new associate at EcoLaw, a Massachusetts law firm serving the Pilgrim Coalition and its member groups. She is a recent graduate of the Environmental Law program at Lewis and Clark Law School, located in Portland, Oregon. 

    While a student, Genevieve became interested in the environmental effects of large-scale power plants and assisted in a Clean Air Act case against PGE's Boardman coal plant, one of the largest sources of air pollution in Oregon. Originally from West Virginia, Genevieve is keenly aware of the damage caused by using fossil fuels and limited natural resources as a source of energy.

    After graduation from Lewis and Clark, Genevieve moved back to the east coast and assisted with litigation against a large biomass plant in Russell, Massachusetts. She spent a year at American Farmland Trust and went on to become a clerk for the Vermont Legislature, where she joined the effort to close down Vermont Yankee. Working to stop Entergy's pollution of Cape Cod Bay and our groundwater is a meaningful next step in environmental protection.

    "I understand that we live in a world of limited and irreplaceable resources," she said. "I'm honored to be working with the Pilgrim Coalition and the attorneys at EcoLaw, and will do all I can to further the important cause of protecting Cape Cod Bay."