NRC faces heat after Pilgrim upgrade
By Christine LegerePosted Mar 26,2019
PLYMOUTH — The meeting to discuss Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s performance over the past year didn’t draw the usual large crowd of watchdogs and opponents, probably because the reactor is set to shut down permanently in two months, but speakers were no less fiery.
Most of the public’s outrage was in reaction to Pilgrim’s sudden ascent earlier this month from Column 4 under federal performance standards, where it was placed in 2015 for repeated mechanical and staff performance failures, to Column 1, a category for top performers which requires only basic federal oversight.
In its March 4 assessment letter, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the Entergy-owned plant had shown steady improvement in the areas of human performance, timely corrective action, risk recognition, conservative decision-making and plant safety culture. Operators had successfully addressed 156 deficiencies that had put the plant in Column 4, the NRC said.
NRC Northeast Region Administrator David Lew restated those reasons during Tuesday’s meeting.
Reactions to that ranged from cynicism to outrage.
David Agnew, a member of Pilgrim Legislative Advisory Coalition, called the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “the industry’s captive regulatory agency” and the decision to move Pilgrim to Column 1 “a bad joke.”
“I’m counting the 67 days until Pilgrim’s final shutdown and the unknown number of days until the final defueling of the reactor,” Agnew said.
Plymouth resident Joanne Corrigan expressed similar sentiments.
“The past history of Pilgrim is indicative of the lack of concern to keep us safe,” she said. Pilgrim’s quick ascent from Column 4 to Column 1 was “magical,” she said.
Lew maintained Pilgrim has steadily improved, both in regard to staff training and performance and conservative decision-making in order to maintain safety. The reactor has not experienced any problems classified by the federal agency as more than minor since it was placed in Column 4 in 2015, Lew said.
Eleven reactors have spent time in Column 4 since the federal safety standards were instituted in 2000. Of those, five have slowly returned to Column 1 via Columns 2 or 3. Six have gone straight from Column 4 to 1.
In a statement read by a staff member, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she “is disappointed in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recent actions that move Pilgrim from a Column 4 station — the worst safety rating a facility can have — to Column 1 without fully considering the local community’s safety concerns.”
A statement was also read from Sen. Edward Markey. “For years, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has received the lowest operable safety rating from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” said Markey. “Now, right as Entergy prepares to shutter the plant and sell it off to new owners, the NRC is saying all of its safety concerns have been addressed.”
“The surrounding community has earned its skepticism of Entergy’s safety,” Markey said.
A group of Pilgrim employees attended the meeting, and they countered that Pilgrim transitioned to Column 1 due to the dedication and hard work of the staff.
“For anyone to say anything else is a slap in the face for the employees,” said employee Mary Gatslick.
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