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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 356 FILED ON: 1/12/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1596
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Patrick M. O'Connor
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to monitoring dry casks of spent nuclear fuel.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and Norfolk 1 of 2
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 356 FILED ON: 1/12/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1596
By Mr. O'Connor, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1596) of Patrick M. O'Connor for
legislation to monitor dry casks of spent nuclear fuel. Public Health.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2685 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to monitoring dry casks of spent nuclear fuel.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by:-
2 (a) Amending the title of section 5K by adding “STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR
3FUEL:" after “NUCLEAR REACTOR; and
4 (b) Adding the following to section 5K:- (I) For the purpose of preventing, mitigating, or
5alleviating impacts on the resources of the commonwealth and to the health of its citizens from
6radiation emitted by spent nuclear fuel at facilities that at any time generated electricity for retail
7customers in the commonwealth, (i) the owner and operator of each such facility in the
8commonwealth that is not a stranded asset under Chapter 164 of the Acts of 1997 that stores
9nuclear fuel in dry casks shall report to the department of public health radiation control division,
10on a continuous real-time basis, the temperature of and the rate of helium and radiation release 2 of 2
11from each such dry cask. and (ii) the department of public health shall, in consultation with the
12office of the attorney general, promulgate rules and regulations to adopt and implement such
13reporting.