Holtec Still Pursuing New Permit, Won't Discharge Until Approved capecod.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from capecod.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The federal government is warning the owner of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station that discharging radioactive water without notice, in violation of the Clean Water Act, could result in fines or jail time.
Reacting in an interview with CAI, a Holtec spokesman doubled down on some of the company's previous comments that spurred the government warning, saying Holtec will not make promises about the timing of a water release.
In a Dec. 5 letter, the enforcement division of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office said recent remarks by Holtec compliance manager David Noyes appear to contemplate intentional violation of the Clean Water Act.
Two state agencies say they'll observe collection of water samples at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and have the water tested at separate labs. Specific water-quality laws and regulations are playing an increasing role in the debate over what should happen to the radioactive water inside the plant. The applicability of water-discharge permitting rules, federal water-quality standards, and the Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Act have been the focus of recent discussion by the state’s Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel.
Gov. Charlie Baker has vetoed a legislative amendment that would have delayed any discharge of radioactive water from the spent-fuel pool at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station until at least 2025.