HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3705        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3199

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Mathew J. Muratore

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act updating the decommissioning oversight of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3705        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3199

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act updating the decommissioning oversight of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1: Chapter 188, section 14 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (a) and replacing paragraph (a) with the following:- SECTION 14. (a) “There shall be created a Pilgrim Decommissioning State Oversight Panel which shall consist of state officials or their staff designee, scientific and technical experts, local officials, a retiree of Pilgrim Station with technical expertise in environmental areas and/or physical security, a representative of a local environmental group, and two at-large appointees as follows: the Governor of the Commonwealth; the Attorney General of the Commonwealth; the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs; the Commissioner of Public Utilities; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; the Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency; the Secretary of Economic Development; the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Radiological Control Program; the Chairman of the Plymouth Selectboard or Town of Plymouth staff designee; a retiree representative of Pilgrim Station with technical expertise in environmental areas and/or physical security, appointed by Chairperson of the panel upon majority approval by the panel; a representative of the Plymouth Regional Economic Development Foundation; a technical expert with knowledge of decommissioning and spent nuclear fuel management issues, appointed by the Chairman of the Panel upon majority approval by the panel; a representative of the local environmental community, selected by the Plymouth Selectboard; and two at-large appointees, one each recommended by the State Senator and State Representative who represent the former Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station location and appointed by the Senate President and Speaker of the House respectively.”

SECTION 2. Said section 14, as so appearing, is further amended in subsection (b) by replacing in its entirety a new subsection (b) as follows:- “Each non-designated appointee to the Panel shall serve for a 3-year term unless they resign to the appointing authority in writing.”

SECTION 3. Said section 14, as so appearing, is further amended by deleting subsection (f).

SECTION 4. Said section 14, as so appearing, in subsection (i) (2) is further amended by striking after the word “operations;” the words “provided the panel may hold additional meetings:”

SECTION 5. Said section 14, as so appearing, in subsection (i) (5) is further amended by striking subsection (5) and replacing it as follows:- “(5) To convey the compliance and status of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Holtec Decommissioning International signed on behalf of the Commonwealth by the Office of the Attorney General on June 16, 2020.”

SECTION 6.  Said section 14, as so appearing, in subsection (i) (6) is further amended by striking subsection (6) in its entirety and replacing it as follows:- "(6) The panel shall meet quarterly as set forth in subsection (i) through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) partial site release of the property and annually until the spent fuel is removed from the site and the NRC license is terminated."