󰀃Regina Asmutis-Silvia, WDCS    󰀍Source →

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant operates just a few miles from WDCS-NA’s headquarters in Plymouth, MA. A couple of buildings down from our office, one of the power plant’s emergency alert speakers hangs from a telephone pole. We largely ignore the periodic sirens followed by the “this is a test” recorded voiceover. Our annual calendar, provided by the Plant and complete with emergency driving directions out of Plymouth in the case of an accident, hangs in the office bathroom. The local hospitals and schools have stores of iodine pills, just in case…… Every one of us working in the Plymouth office knows someone that works at the Plant, it’s a significant source of employment for a town that largely relies on tourism and our reality of living with nuclear power. Pilgrim, as it is locally known, is a haunting shadow we have grown accustomed to and tend to not think about until something goes wrong, either here, or half way around the world. And as the Plant is requesting to extend its license for another 20 years, we have much to consider from a human, and whale, standpoint.

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