A power plant cleanup saga years in the making now has another puzzle piece in play. Earlier this month, a study motivated by the proposed release of radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay found that any discharge plans would likely bring wastewater towards communities along the Cape's shoreline.
In 2019, Holtec International became the entity in charge of decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth. Since 2021, Holtec has floated the idea of dumping the about 1.1 million gallons of treated radioactive wastewater contained within the station into Cape Cod Bay — a tactic used in other plant clean-ups. That request was officially denied by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in July; in 2022, the federal Environmental Protection Agency told Holtec that the provisions of its permit did not enable it to dump treated wastewater into the bay.
The recent study, done by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is a model-based look at how seasonal and wind variations impact the movement of particles and pollutants in and around the near-surface environment of the bay. The study is meant to understand the "near-surface transport patterns and mechanisms" in the bay, both in the context of proposed wastewater release from the station and in general.
Among officials who have spoken out about Holtec's requests most is U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, who lifted up the study in a statement Tuesday and called on Holtec to "develop a wastewater discharge plan that is informed and guided by scientific fact and community input." Markey said that Holtec has "fallen woefully short" on its commitment to a transparent decommissioning process.
The Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Act considers the Cape Cod Bay a "protected ocean sanctuary" and prevents industrial waters from being discharged into protected state waters. Holtec has maintained throughout the process that the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater is within state limits and similar to other discharges made in the past. — Ella Adams
11:00 | The 2024 Massachusetts Conference for Women unfolds, featuring speakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Caitlin Clark, Gail Devers, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Beverly Johnson, Robin Roberts and Gayle King. Gov. Healey will also offer remarks | Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St, Boston
12:00 | Health Policy Commission Board meets, including a presentation from AG Campbell's office on the AG's recent 2024 Health Care Cost Trends Report | More Info & Access
5:30 | The working group responding to the closure of Carney Hospital in Dorchester holds a listening session | 1181 Adams St., Dorchester | Register
Warren sees killing of insurance CEO as a "warning"
When asked about the "cold" response to the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren told HuffPost on Wednesday that "the visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system." Warren condemned the violence, but said that the killing “is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone." U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont similarly criticized insurance company practices in response to the killing, while also calling it "unacceptable." Both Warren and Sanders are widely-known critics of the U.S. healthcare system. — HuffPost |
|
TD Garden concessions workers weigh striking
Concessions workers at TD Garden are scheduled to vote Sunday on whether to strike over job security and compensation, New England Cable News's Bianca Beltran reports. The union representing 600 workers who sell food and other amenities at the venue has been negotiating for months with the Garden's owner, with members feeling threatened particularly by the expansion of self-serve kiosks. The union also wants its members to receive a bigger commission on sales they conduct. — New England Cable News
|
|
How did Vineyard Wind's turbine blade even break in the first place?
The Light's Anastasia E. Lennon looks into the blade failure of GE Vernova’s Vineyard Wind 1 and the history and creation of the specific blade model. While no offshore turbine manufacturer of any company has escaped blade issues this year, GE Vernova's failed blade off Nantucket was not the first, nor the last, broken blade to have occurred in projects using the same model. — New Bedford Light |
Wu on Boston property tax proposal process, White Stadium plans, state of the city
On "Boston Public Radio" on Wednesday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said that she had taken the home rule petition process seriously in order to get her property tax shift proposal through the Legislature, but that "we don't have time at the city level to play games." Wu touched on the difficulties of the process, and said that when she sat down with Boston senators and businesses, none of the individual senators told her about changes they wanted to see, despite the eventual lack of support it received from the chamber in the end. Wu made an argument that critics telling the city to "just cut the budget" don't understand that doing so wouldn't solve the property tax rise for residents.
When asked about the city's White Stadium project, Wu said that Boston will pay for its half of the stadium, "no matter what it costs." Just last week, reports came out about how the cost of the project nearly doubled to about $200M, almost doubling the construction costs the city would have to pay for. Wu said the increase in costs will overall "be a deal that is worth it for generations to come for our city."
Wu also said Wednesday that she's planning to give her State of the City address in March 2025. The annual address is usually held in January, but because the mayor is preparing to give birth in January, she is moving the event two months down the line. — Boston Public Radio |
|
Feds arrest Pittsfield High School dean for alleged cocaine distribution
Federal authorities yesterday arrested the dean of students at Pittsfield High School and charged him with running a significant drug-trafficking operation in Western Massachusetts, the Eagle's Amanda Burke reports. The U.S. attorney's office alleged in a public statement that Lavante Wiggins, 30, sold cocaine to a government informant on numerous occasions while under surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Wiggins was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment in Springfield. Also arrested Wednesday, and charged with similar crimes, was Theodore "Monty" Warren of Pittsfield. — Berkshire Eagle |
|
Peabody shifts more of tax burden to businesses
New city of Peabody tax rates unveiled Tuesday include a slight increase for businesses and no change for owners of residential properties, the Item's Luke Acton reports. The residential home rate will remain $9.26 per $1,000 of valuation. The commercial, industrial and personal property rate will increase to $19.02 per $1,000 valuation, up from $18.83 this year. The new rate has residents shouldering 71.2 percent of the Peabody's tax burden and businesses 28.8 percent. — Lynn Item
Amherst Town Council joins opposition to Chinese charter school expansion plan
The Amherst Town Council adopted a resolution opposing a 100-student enrollment increase at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley. Amherst's resolution is similar to those of the Northampton City Council and the Amherst, Amherst-Pelham Regional and Northampton school committees. The resolution will go to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which is expected to act in February on any amendments to existing charter schools. The resolution largely opposes the state's existing charter school funding formula. — Daily Hampshire Gazette
|
|
Language in massive jobs law grants pathway for foreign-trained doctors to fill slots in Mass.
Tucked inside the economic development bill that became law, the Physician Pathway Act will help remove certain barriers in order for internationally trained physicians to obtain medical licenses. Lawmakers who supported the measure hope it strengthens the state's physician workforce with more "multilingual, culturally competent, skilled doctors." For three years, physicians will have to practice at health care facilities in rural and underserved communities in order to acquire licensure — an alternative to them having to re-complete their residencies, which they already completed in their home countries. Hundreds of foreign doctors are expected to utilize the program. — MetroWest Daily News
|
|
Granby pharmacy to pay $230K for offenses owner says didn't occur
Center Pharmacy is preparing to settle allegations it billed MassHealth for prescriptions that never were ordered, even though the owner says the store did nothing wrong, the Gazette's Emilee Klein reports. The attorney general's office issued a news release stating the pharmacy told doctors nursing home patients had requested the prescription vitamin Profola over several months in 2023, and MassHealth paid the resulting claims — even though an investigation found no evidence the patients had made the request. The pharmacy's owner told the paper the news release contained "inaccurate information from the get-go." — Daily Hampshire Gazette
|
|
Storm causes MBTA commuter rail delays, cancellations
Two Stoughton line commuter rail trains were cancelled Wednesday afternoon due to a wire that was knocked down in Back Bay, and two Fairmount line commuter rail trains were also canceled Wednesday due to a downed tree. The MBTA warned of "significant delays" for commuters on a number of lines, as a storm tore through the region with heavy winds and rain. — Boston Globe
|
|
ICYMI…Beverly Rep. Jerald Parisella is seemingly on track to be appointed District Court judge by the Governor's Council — and if his appointment is confirmed, there will be a special election scheduled in his district for the 2025-2026 legislative session. Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who has been indicted on federal corruption charges, says she has no plans to resign, despite being called to do so by the mayor and five of her council peers. And long-time, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a new gig as head coach for University of North Carolina football.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.