Emergency preparedness

Selectmen are requesting a meeting in January with state and federal officials on the town’s effort to be included in the emergency preparedness zone for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. Selectman Barry DeCristofano said town officials years ago declined to have Plympton included in the zone, even though part of the community is within the 10-mile radius. However, that sentiment has changed, particularly with the ongoing construction of Sysco’s major distribution center and the recent meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors in Japan. “At any given time, there will be about 300 people working [at Sysco] who would need to be evacuated,” said DeCristofano. He said Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., which operates the Pilgrim plant, has been “stonewalling” the town’s request. In a letter to the town dated Oct. 19, an Entergy site manager said the current size of the emergency planning zones may be too large, and the company, which is applying for re-licensing, is not prepared to support a petition for changes to the preparedness zone at this time.