It looks like Entergy has another high-profile state fight coming to a head about now.  

‘Seems even Massachusetts State Senator Robert Hedlund of Weymouth, a Republican, is joining nuclear opponents in an effort to derail relicensing of another Fukushima era relic like Vermont Yankee;  the Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station in Weymouth.  

Besides the inherent design flaws of the Mark 1 reactor, and it’s advanced age, State officials are concerned about an overcrowded spent fuel pool, which, though designed to hold just 880 of the highly radioactive spent fuel rods, will soon reach 3,859 units with no likelihood of transfer to dry cask storage.

Like VY, the 40-year old plant has experienced troublesome issues due to equipment failure and human error.  

Unlike Yankee, Pilgrim is now facing a strike by union workers over cost-cutting efforts that they say undermine the safe operation of the plant.

“I’ve heard clearly from my members that they would rather strike than accept Entergy’s ongoing efforts to cost shift medical coverage and change their working conditions,” UWUA President Daniel Hurley said. “This vote is absolutely critical to the safety of our communities and the well-being of our members.”

The good folks who work at Pilgrim have apparently given some thought to the safety of the three million people who live within 50 miles of the plant.  That fifty-mile radius represents the evacuation zone that U.S. officials said should have been observed at Fukushima.

Opponents to relicensing recognize that it would be quite impossible to evacuate that population, which includes  Boston, should the worst come to pass.  My son currently lives in Boston.  Trying to navigate in, around, and out of the city on the best of days is challenging.

In the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, relicensing the Mark 1 reactor at Vermont Yankee was an act of irresponsibility on the part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  

Considering how much larger is the scale of the affected population, that level of irresponsibility is many times greater when it comes to blithely relicensing Pilgrim.

In early April, Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley appealed the NRC’s decision to continue relicensing proceedings for Pilgrim without pausing to reconfigure for the lessons learned from Fukushima. That appeal was unsuccessful.

The NRC’s official reason for denying AG Coakley’s appeal?

In denying Coakley’s request, the NRC explained, “we have already considered and rejected the notion that our Fukushima lessons-learned review needs to be completed prior to a decision on any pending license renewal application.” The attorney general’s appeal alleges that the NRC’s decision violates the National Environmental Policy Act as well as the Atomic Energy Act and the NRC’s own regulations.

Now, NRC Executive Director of Operations, Bill Borchardt is advocating himself for the NRC to okay the license extention.

It looks unstoppable at this point, but opponents have not abandoned hope.

A state-wide coalition of 14 different groups wants Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to ask the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reject the NRC staff’s April 23rd request to approve relicensing of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth. The NRC staff recommended that NRC Commissioners approve the relicensing at their next meeting May 8, despite several outstanding challenges to the licensing process.

Beset by labor unrest, equipment failure, design flaws, human error and unresolvable radioactive waste issues, how likely is it that either Vermont or Massachusetts would get anything but grief from continued operation of Entergy’s unlucky step-children.  Public Service Board: can you hear me now?