October 2013
In This Issue...
Did You Know?
While the nuclear reactors themselves release few greenhouse gases, the nuclear fuel cycle is a significant contributor.



In 2001, 93% of the nation's reported emissions of CFC-114, a potent greenhouse gas, were released from the U.S. Enrichment Corporation, where uranium is enriched to make nuclear reactor fuel.  

These facilities are so energy intensive that some of the nation's dirty, old coal plants exist just to power the nuclear fuel facilities.
 
Information from the 
Our Members

First Parish UU Church, 
Social Justice & 
Action Committees:





Upcoming Events
10/8  Presentation by Entergy:
Nuclear Waste & Storage at Pilgrim
Tuesday, October 8, 2013  \  7 pm
Plymouth Town Hall, 11 Lincoln Street, Plymouth, MA

Entergy, owner and operator of the 41-year old Pilgrim nuclear facility, will present information to the Plymouth Board of Selectmen about their intentions to store nuclear waste on-site roughly 25 feet above average sea level.

10/9  Panel Discussion: Ongoing Lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
10 am - 1:30 pm
Massachusetts State House (Gardner Auditorium)
24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA
 
Livestreaming of Boston event >>
 
Livestreaming of New York event >>

Facebook event page >>

The panel will include Naoto Kan, the former Japanese Prime Minister, former NRC Chair Gregory Jaczko, who led the commission during the Fukushima Daiichi accident, along with former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford, and nuclear engineer Arnie Gunderson.  The Boston panel will be moderated by WGBH's Sean Corcoran.
10/15  Presentation by Pilgrim Coalition Members: Nuclear Waste and Safety at Pilgrim
Tuesday, October 15, 2013  \  7 am - 1 pm
Plymouth Town Hall, 11 Lincoln Street, Plymouth, MA

Coalition members will present to the Plymouth Board of Selectmen their concerns and recommendations for on-site nuclear waste storage at Entergy's Pilgrim nuclear facility.

10/28  NRC Public Meeting
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be holding 12 public meetings around the country this fall to discuss the proposed Waste Confidence Rule, which would revise current rules to say that radioactive spent fuel can safely be stored 60 years beyond the licensed life for operation of a nuclear reactor.

The Massachusetts meeting will be held on:

Monday, October 28, 2013
Open House:  6 - 7 pm
Meeting:  7 - 10 pm
Radisson Hotel & Suites Chelmsford-Lowell
10 Independence Drive, Chelmsford, MA

It's important that many of us attend as it is one of the few remaining chances the public has to engage with NRC staff in person!

Register for this event >>
Web Update
We are constantly updating and aiming to improve our online presence.  Over the past few months we have made some substantial upgrades to website performance and design, added an "About the PC Team" page with short bios of all of the current Steering Committee members, updated our Potassium Iodide (KI) fact sheet, and greatly improved our Calendar; check it out:


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Member of the Month:
Wedge Bramhall
This month we'd like to acknowledge and honor 
a Plymouth local who has been working to raise
awareness about the Pilgrim Nuclear reactor for
years.  He is a true veteran of the cause.
Wedge Bramhall, in his own words:

"I have opposed this plant since the late 70's, even before Three Mile Island. I have written dozens of letters over the last 38 years warning the South Shore of exactly what we have today. We now are stuck with about 1200 tons of high level nuclear waste. I'd say one of the biggest concerns we should have is that the waste is now stored in the most vulnerable spent fuel pools in the business.

Thank goodness for Ted Bosen who kept me fighting for all these years and not giving up. We fought Pilgrim 2. I tried to uncover chemical waste that was buried near the plant but Edison had too many friends in high places for us to get anywhere despite having plenty of evidence. When there was a moratorium on new sewer tie-ins, I caught Edison trying to tap into Plymouths sewer system (in broad daylight) on Obery Street when they built the training center and emergency operations center. They almost pulled it off but had to build a private system of their own on county land after they got busted. These are just a few of the things that made me mad enough to hound them whenever I could.

My happiest and proudest anti-Pilgrim time was working with Ted Bosen and a great group of people that started the Freeze Pilgrim Committee to freeze Pilgrim's license, and we actually got the Selectmen to back us up. I will never forget that Selectmen meeting when the Selectmen came around to our side during the meeting. It was a first for Plymouth because every other board before them had no balls when it came to standing up to Edison or Entergy. That helped us get the towns overwhelming backing on our question. Many other neighboring towns followed suit.

I know that the plant causes cancer and now that I have pancreatic cancer, it makes it even more personal. I have a beautiful family and live in an incredible town. I hate the fact that we now live with a high level nuclear waste dump that spews crap into the air and ground 24 hours a day. Plymouth is way too good for that but I'm afraid it has happened and it will take a lot to undo the damage done.

Fukushima woke up a lot of people who now realize what we have been fighting against for all these years. I don't regret one moment lost writing letters, attending meetings and protests, or alienating pro-Pilgrim people to the point that they would not shop at my business. I felt strongly enough about how I felt that I lost a lot of sales.

I would like nothing better than to see headlines saying that Entergy has decided to shut the plant down before I go."
Take Action to Ensure Safety Rules Actually Protect People
From the Fall 2013 Union of Concerned Scientists newsletter, Earthwise

The safety of nuclear power plants is at stake. Currently, independent agencies including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) operate free of White House oversight (as intended by Congress). Because the commissioners can vote on safety rules without executive review, these agencies can act quickly to address emerging hazards. But now there is a strong push in Congress - under the guise of fiscal restraint - to add a layer of oversight that could effectively render these agencies toothless.

Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) are sponsoring the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act, which would require the NRC, CPSC, and all other independent agencies to send their significant draft regulations to the White House Office on Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The OMB would assess whether the costs of a rule outweigh its benefits - but the independent agencies already conduct their own cost-benefit analyses. So this additional review will give business interests more opportunities to attempt to weaken or delay the rules, while making the agencies jump through other new procedural hoops as well.

The NRC would face even more obstacles and industry pressure in addressing hazards at nuclear power plants that could endager thousands of lives.

Here's What You Can Do:

Contact your senators and urge them to oppose the Independent Agnecy Regulatory Analysis Act (S. 1173). Tell them you want independent agengies to remain independent, and that this bill would increase the power of special interests to weaken and delay protections for consumers and those living near nuclear power plants.

Send an email from the online UCS Action Center >>
Or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the appropriate office.
Sign Our Petition

The organization Concerned Neighbors of Pilgrim, in conjunction with Cape Cod Bay Watch, is collecting signatures to give to the Plymouth Board of Selectmen regarding Entergy's Nuclear Waste Storage. The petition reads:

"Entergy's long term storage of high level radioactive waste in our community poses a risk to our families, homes, businesses, environment and economy. Help us urge Plymouth officials to use their authority to protect public safety and the Town's fiscal well-being before the opportunity is lost or becomes irreversible." 

Sign online today as a citizen or a business:
11/14 & 12/12  Pilgrim Coalition Meetings
Pilgrim Coalition meetings are open to all and we encourage you to attend and engage in our discussions. We will meet on the upcoming dates:

Thursday, November 14Thursday, December 12  \  7 pm
Jones River Landing, 55 Landing Road, Kingston, MA
 
About the Pilgrim Coalition...
We are a non-partisan network of citizens and organizations dedicated to raisingawareness of - and reducing - significant risks to public safety, health and our environment arising from the continuedoperation of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Make a Donation >>  Help us grow by making a secure, tax-deductible donation online today. Checks can also be made out to the Pilgrim Coalition and sent to us at c/o Jones River Watershed Association, 55 Landing Road, Kingston, MA 02332.

  You can also help us by sharing this email with your friends and family.
 
Join Our Mailing List >>  Sign up to receive periodic updates from the Pilgrim Coalition, including news, events, volunteer opportunities, and more.
 
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