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Holtec is privately owned; has a track record of bribery and corruption; has a track record of refusing to give important information to the US government. We don’t know for sure who owns it, since it is privately owned. Presumably it belongs to Kris Singh who is from India. First Pilgrim nuclear power station is sold to Entergy, based in New Orleans Louisiana, infamous for corruption, which then is selling it to Kris Singh’s Holtec, in conjunction with SNC-Lavalin (Montreal, Quebec) with a track-record of corruption. India is noted for its high levels of corruption. Holtec is now noted for corruption. We, and others, have written at length about the unacceptably poor quality of their spent fuel canisters, to no avail.

Now Entergy and Holtec are refusing to cooperate with Massachusetts and its citizens:
Too many questions remain and too few answers have been provided to the Commonwealth and to local residents about the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant,” said Senator Markey. “From financing to emergency response planning, we have asked for answers and we have received only unacceptable silence. More hearings and opportunities for public input are needed to resolve critical outstanding questions – until that happens, this license transfer should not be approved. The NRC should not put nuclear industry timelines above the statutory requirement for a process that includes the opportunity for public input and involvement.

US “Senator Markey Blasts NRC Plans to Proceed with Pilgrim Decommissioning License Transfer as Lacking Public Support, Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Boston (August 13, 2019) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that it plans to issue a decision next week based on staff recommendation to approve the license transfer from Entergy to Holtec of the permanently shut down Pilgrim nuclear power plant and spent fuel dry storage facility.

The staff of the NRC have issued a condition in today’s review that would require Holtec and Entergy to reverse the license back to the conditions that existed before the transfer, if the transfer is denied by the Commission as a result of either of the two pending hearing requests. On August 8, Senator Markey sent a letter to the NRC expressing his serious concerns with news that the Commission could rule on the Entergy and Holtec license transfer without a ruling on the motions and petition submitted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and local residents.
 
“Too many questions remain and too few answers have been provided to the Commonwealth and to local residents about the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant,” said Senator Markey. 

“From financing to emergency response planning, we have asked for answers and we have received only unacceptable silence. More hearings and opportunities for public input are needed to resolve critical outstanding questions – until that happens, this license transfer should not be approved. The NRC should not put nuclear industry timelines above the statutory requirement for a process that includes the opportunity for public input and involvement.”
 
In October 2018, Senator Markey and Rep. William Keating (MA-09) demanded clear details from Holtec and Entergy about the safety and security issues involved in the ownership, transfer, and eventual decommissioning of the power plant.
https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-blasts-nrc-plans-to-proceed-with-pilgrim-decommissioning-license-transfer-as-lacking-public-support

Click to access NRC%20on%20Pilgrim%20License%20Transfer%20letter.pdf

Senator Markey Demands Safety, Security, Transparency from Pilgrim Owners, Regulators
Monday, October 1, 2018
 
Senator Markey and Congressman Keating called on Entergy and Holtec to meet its obligations by submitting an application for ownership transfer that details decommissioning plans; Insist the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ramp up efforts to protect the public during the sale
 
Washington (October 1, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Congressman Bill Keating (D-Mass.) put the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s current and proposed new owners on notice today, demanding clear details about the safety and security issues involved in the ownership, transfer, and eventual decommissioning of the power plant. In the letter to Holtec and Entergy, Senator Markey and Congressman Keating requested that those companies provide in the application, in addition to other information, all detailed plans for assumption of rights to the Pilgrim Nuclear Decommissioning Trust.
 
In the letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Markey and Keating additionally call on the NRC to closely examine the application to ensure the transfer of the Pilgrim license is in the public interest, including a guarantee that background radiation at the site shall be below federal standards at ten millirams, that emergency planning funds shall continue to be made available to communities within ten miles of the plant, and that there will be sufficient contingency funds for decommissioning. The members asked for the NRC to provide additional hearings in Massachusetts on the operation and decommissioning of Pilgrim.
 
“The Pilgrim decommissioning must prioritize safety, security, and the concerns of local stakeholders, and take into consideration the potential cost to ratepayers,” write Senator Markey and Congressman Keating. “According to published reports, the current level of the decommissioning trust fund at $1.08 billion may be insufficient to complete safe storage decommissioning (SAFSTOR) over the coming decades. This is troubling. It would be unacceptable to demand additional money from Massachusetts ratepayers, or the American taxpayer, to complete the decommissioning process at Pilgrim.”
 
Senator Markey and Congressman Keating go on to write, “The NRC should hold hearings in Massachusetts at every stage of this license transfer. The voices of those most affected by the Pilgrim decommissioning must be heard. Only with their continued input can we be assured that the Pilgrim decommissioning will proceed with the highest level of safety and security, and stewardship of taxpayer funds.”

https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-demands-safety-security-transparency-from-pilgrim-owners-regulators

For technical info about what’s wrong with Holtec spent nuclear fuel canisters/casks, and additional information on Holtec, please search for Holtec in the search window of this blog, and Kris Singh, Kris Pal Singh, etc.