A new bill filed in the state Legislature would make significant changes to the public panel on the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
The bill would shrink the panel from 21 to 15 members, give state officials a bigger role, and change the composition of the group. One change would add a member focused on future economic development of the Plymouth property.
Plymouth legislators are sponsoring the measure.
It would also change the name of the group, from Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel to Pilgrim Decommissioning State Oversight Panel, and reduce the frequency of meetings.
Some members of the group say the change would result in less influence from members of the public.
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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.