Middleboro Review et al

Proposed NRC rule changes raise safety concerns By  Christine Legere Posted May 23, 2018  Revisions aimed at curbing exemptions sought after reactor shutdowns. PLYMOUTH — A U.S. senator who has been a longtime critic of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s oversight of the nation’s 99 nuclear power reactors is calling the latest report on the agency’s proposed rule changes for reactor decommissioning “an industry wish list that makes exemptions the rule.” The rule changes are particularly significant to the residents Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., represents, as the state’s only nuclear reactor, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, is set to permanently shut down by May 31, 2019. Pilgrim’s coastal location makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The rules contain no new requirements for considering environmental impacts, Markey said. “This is a missed opportunity to put down a marker for smarter decommissioning,” Markey said in...

Right whale researchers attempt to disentangle ‘Kleenex’ By  Mary Ann Bragg   Posted Apr 13, 2018 PROVINCETOWN — A prolific North Atlantic right whale mother named Kleenex may eventually be freed from fishing line wrapped around her jaw for the past several years after a rescue effort Thursday on Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. “This is exactly the individual we are desperate to help,” said Scott Landry, who leads the center’s efforts to free marine animals from fishing gear. The adult female, well-known to researchers, had been carrying rope wrapped around her upper jaw for at least three years, according to documented sightings. Because there was no trailing line on the rope, the usual technique of slowing the whale and keeping it at the surface by attaching buoys to the entanglement couldn’t be used, Landry said. Instead, the rescuers used a cutting arrow fired from the deck of the rescue boat to damage the rope on the a...

Lawmakers, advisory panel plot Pilgrim’s future By  Christine Legere   Posted Apr 11, 2018 WEST BARNSTABLE — While there have been different perspectives among the public on the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station over the last 45 years, priorities are now aligning as the beleaguered plant progresses toward its announced permanent closure on June 1, 2019. That was the message delivered by the region’s senators and representatives during a meeting of the Pilgrim Nuclear Decommissioning Advisory Panel at Cape Cod Community College on Wednesday night. “We’re entering a really critical phase: the safe, swift decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station,” state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, said to the panel. Whether you are a plant opponent or plant employee, everyone sees safety as a top priority once the reactor shuts down, Cyr said. Wednesday was kind of a wrapup of the advisory panel’s first year of information gathering. Meeting time was dedicated to...

FOR MOST, WITH AGE COMES WISDOM.  IN THE CASE OF RON BEATY JR., IT SEEMS TO PROVE OTHERWISE.  PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH IF YOU'RE TEMPTED TO VOTE FOR HIM. RON BEATY CONTINUES TO BE AN EMBARRASSMENT.  Political Notes: Beaty attacks on student activist draw criticism By  Geoff Spillane Posted Apr 2, 2018 Not to be outdone by embattled Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty Jr. has posted his own string of Twitter attacks against a Parkland, Florida, student. BARNSTABLE — Not to be outdone by embattled Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty Jr. has posted his own string of Twitter attacks against David Hogg, the 17-year-old gun-control advocate and survivor of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school in February. The tweets began March 28, when Beaty posted a link to an article about Hogg not being accepted to several colleges, commenting, “Predictio...

ENTERGY's failures are known.  Let's support RENEWABLES that don't create TOXIC WASTE for generations.  Has anyone noticed Charlie Baker's silence?  Incapable of leadership, incapable of governing.  Charlie Baker: ONE AND DONE!  \ Pilgrim shutdown enters second month By  Christine Legere   Posted Apr 3, 2018  PLYMOUTH — March was a tough month for the beleaguered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, and so far, April has been no better. The Plymouth reactor has now been shut down for 30 days because of a handful of equipment problems. Operators finished removing a damaged start-up transformer last week and are in the process of moving the new transformer into place, Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said Tuesday. The reactor was shut down March 6 because of a leak in a system needed to heat water before it is pumped into the reactor. While workers addressed that problem, the reactor lo...

WHERE IS 'DON'T MAKE WAVES' CHARLIE BAKER?  ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL STILL?  Problems at Pilgrim nuclear plant continue By  Christine Legere   Posted Mar 26, 2018 Incorrectly installed clamps must be fixed before reactor starts up again PLYMOUTH — Another equipment snafu at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was discovered on Sunday, this time in the critical safety system used to stop fission from occurring in the plant’s reactor during an emergency. It marked the third mechanical problem at the 45-year-old beleaguered plant in as many weeks. The reactor is going into its fourth week of shutdown. During a check on Sunday, a Pilgrim engineer found the support clamps for nine pipes that are part of the hydraulic control rod system appeared to be incorrectly installed. The control rods are a key component in getting a reactor to shut down. They contain a powdered form of neutron-absorbing boron, slowing or stopping the fission proce...