Plymouth: Selectmen hear more calls for action on nuclear safety issues

The Pilgrim Plant was called a nuclear waste dump and a terrorist target—for which no amount of tax money can equal adequate compensation. Remarks like these were made by several speakers during public comment at the Plymouth Selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night

Although Select Board members did not respond during public comment, the remarks for a call to action regarding safety made by Jeff Berger, Wedge Bramhall, and others, prompted Selectman Ken Tavares to say that the Board needed to take the lead concerning safety issues.

Selectman Belinda Brewster is working to solidify a coalition of 104 communities in 31 states that host nuclear plants. The purpose is to gain leverage in demanding that government officials take action to clean up the toxic waste, especially in spent fuel rod pools:

“Thirty five years of years of stored nuclear waste that we have in our pools just here in Plymouth—we want to get thirty-five years worth of that out—the reason it’s thirty-five years is that it has to cool for five years in a pool before it can be put into dry cask storage.”

Town Manager Melissa Arrighi:

“In my seven years here I have never seen the kind of real demand that we as a local government, seriously take a look at these nuclear power plants and say if they’re going to be in our community, then they need to be safe. So, although I’m not exactly sure how we’re going to approach that and make those kind of demands, I do know we have to do something and I’m committed to it.”