Amendment #577 to H4200

Decommissioing Pilgrim Commission

Representatives Peake of Provincetown, Cutler of Duxbury, Muratore of Plymouth, Vieira of Falmouth, Cantwell of Marshfield, DuBois of Brockton, Madden of Nantucket, Gifford of Wareham, Hunt of Sandwich, Khan of Newton and Mannal of Barnstable move to amend the bill by adding the following new section:

SECTION XX.  Chapter 7 of the general laws is hereby amended by inserting the following new section:

Section 63.  (a) There shall be a special commission on the closure and decommissioning of the pilgrim nuclear power station.  The special commission shall be charged with assessing and planning for the impacts of the closure of pilgrim nuclear power station.

(b)  The commission shall consist of the following 34 members: two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker and one appointed by the minority leader; two members of the senate, one appointed by the president of the senate and one appointed by the minority leader; the attorney general or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance or a designee; the secretary of energy and environmental affairs or a designee; the secretary of health and human services or a designee; the secretary of public safety or a designee; the secretary of labor and workforce development or a designee; the secretary of housing and economic development or a designee; the director of the Massachusetts emergency management agency or a designee; the planning , nuclear and preparedness section chief of the Massachusetts emergency management agency; the commissioner of the department of environmental protection or a designee; the commissioner of the department of public health or a designee; the director of the radiation control program at the department of public health; the commissioner of the department of public utilities or a designee; a representative of the federal nuclear regulatory authority, ex officio; the chair of the board of selectmen from the town of Plymouth or designee; the chair of the board of selectmen from the town of Duxbury or designee; the chair of the board of selectmen from the town of Kingston or designee; the director of the Plymouth chamber of commerce or designee; the director of the cape cod commission or designee; the director of the cape cod chamber of commerce or designee;  a representative of Entergy; two representatives of the unions representing workers at the pilgrim nuclear power station; three persons to be appointed by the governor, including the chair of the commission; three persons to be appointed by the attorney general including a resident residing within the emergency planning zone surrounding pilgrim nuclear power station; a resident of Barnstable, Dukes or Nantucket counties and an expert in radiation safety; one person appointed by the auditor who is a public safety or emergency preparedness official in the communities that serve as reception centers in the event of an emergency.  The chair must possess expertise in one or all of the following areas: emergency preparedness, environmental contamination, radiation exposure, public health and economic development.

(c)  Members of the commission shall be appointed for a 3-year term and shall be eligible for re-appointment.  Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term.  The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for any usual and customary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.  Members shall be considered special state employees for the purposes of chapter 268A.

(d)  The commission shall review the totality of the impacts of the decommissioning and closure of the pilgrim nuclear power station.  In doing so, they shall examine and make recommendations, including, but not limited to, workforce impacts, economic development, decreased or lost revenues to state agencies, emergency response, public safety, environmental impacts, municipal finance, job retraining and placement, land use/reuse, transport of spent fuel, the storage of hazardous waste and the duration of environmental monitoring activities.

(e)  The commission shall serve as a conduit for public information and education and shall encourage community involvement in matters related to the decommissioning of pilgrim nuclear power station and receive written reports and presentations on the decommissioning of the station at its regular meetings.

(f)  The commission shall periodically receive reports on the decommissioning trust fund and other funds associated with decommissioning of or site restoration at pilgrim nuclear power station, including fund balances, expenditures made and reimbursements received.

(g)  The commission shall receive reports regarding the decommissioning plans for pilgrim nuclear power station, including any site assessments and post-shutdown decommissioning assessment reports; provide a forum for receiving public comment on these plans and reports; and to provide comment on these plans and reports as the commission may consider appropriate to state agencies and the owner of pilgrim nuclear power station.

(h)  The commission shall meet no less than quarterly at the discretion of the chair.  Meetings shall be open to the public pursuant to sections 18 to 25, inclusive, of chapter 30A.

(i)  The commission may accept and solicit funds, including any gifts, donations, grants or bequests or any federal funds for any of the purposes of this section.  The funds shall be deposited in a separate account with the state treasurer, shall be received by the state treasurer on behalf of the commonwealth and shall be expended by the commission under the law.

(j)  The executive office of administration and finance shall furnish administrative support to the commission.

(k)  The commission shall annually, not later than January 30th, report the results of its findings and activities of the preceding year and its recommendations to the governor and to the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #577 to H4200

Decommissioing Pilgrim Commission