Petition urges Gov. Rell and CT DEP to require upgrade to Millstone cooling system to protect Long Island Sound's fish, lobsters and marine life

Petition urges Gov. Rell and CT DEP to require upgrade to Millstone cooling system to protect Long Island Sound's fish, lobsters and marine life | CT Environmental Headlines: 13,000 signatures have been submitted to Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection urging them to require Dominion Power to upgrade its out dated and harmful cooling system at Millstone Nuclear Power Plant and protect Long Island Sound’s fish , lobsters and marine life.

At a public hearing tonight in Old Lyme, CT., Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE) is calling on the Governor and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to finally require Dominion Power to upgrade its out dated and harmful cooling system at Millstone Nuclear Power Plant. Public support for upgrading the cooling system is demonstrated today by the 13,000 signatures CCE will be submitting to the Governor from members of the public all across Connecticut. To date, Governor Rell has received over 2,400 letters and DEP Commissioner McCarthy over 2,200 individual letters in support of the upgrade. The CT Congressional delegation has received over 3,500 letters over the past six months.

The public is collectively asking the state to require Millstone to upgrade their cooling system to a more protective closed-loop system. “The current cooling system would never be built today if it were a new plant because the antiquated technology is deadly to marine life,” said Emmett Pepper, Connecticut Program Director for CCE. Pepper continued, “Life in the Sound is tough enough for fish and lobsters without having five billion organisms needlessly killed each year by Millstone.”

Since 1975, Millstone has used a “once-through cooling system” that takes in 2 billion gallons of water per day from LI Sound—enough to fill 110,000 swimming pools. Documented from 1976-2003, Millstone has killed more than 159 billon larvae, eggs, juveniles, and adult fish for the seven fish species recorded. Environmentalists, including CCE, have advocated for the cooling system to be upgraded to a closed-loop system that recycles the water, reducing the water intake up to 90%.

Recently an agreement, between the DEP, Dominion and environmentalists at Save the Sound and Soundkeeper, set up strict timelines for studying and determining cooling options for the plant.

“This agreement finally ends the delay game that has continued for over a decade. The permitting process for Millstone has an end in sight. Now we must ensure that the DEP uses sound science and not industry jargon to make the right decision that requires Millstone be upgraded to closed loop technology,” said Adrienne Esposito, CCE Executive Director.

The public hearing will take place tonight, Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 6 p.m. at DEP Marine Headquarters, 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, CT 06371.

For more information contact: Adrienne Esposito: (516) 390-7150, cell 631 -384-1378, or Emmett Pepper: (917) 617-8208