For Immediate Release
October 01, 2025
APPEAL FILED IN FISH KILL LAWSUIT AGAINST MILLSTONE
Groups fight to expose extensive damage to fish populations and marine ecosystem
Fish Unlimited, STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation), New York State Assemblymember Fred Thiele, Don't Waste Connecticut and the North Fork Environmental Council have filed an appeal in the Connecticut Appellate Court on the recent lawsuit to prohibit Millstone from killing large numbers of winter flounder and larvae.
Millstone Unit #2 is not equipped with a fish return system and the original lawsuit sought to require the instillation of such a system due to prevent the further degradation of the winter flounder population in Long Island Sound. "We are filing this appeal to force Millstone to mitigate the impacts they have upon Long Island Sound," stated Scott Cullen, Counsel to STAR. "The facility has a profound impact upon the health of the marine ecosystem and everything possible must be done to prevent further insults to the environment. We are working to close the reactors permanently and short of that goal we are also trying to minimize the damage the facility creates on the health of the Sound," added Cullen.
Connecticut State Department of Environmental Protection memorandum has shown that the reactors have depleted the Niantic River winter flounder population by as much as 23 percent a year, which was an estimate considerably higher than previous estimates publically disclosed by the owners of Millstone. "These reactors have a very serious impact on the marine ecosystem and they use billions of gallons of Long Island Sound water every day," stated Bill Smith, Executive Director of Fish Unlimited.
The original lawsuit was filed on March 11, 1999. The judge enjoined Northeast Utilities from starting Unit #2 for eight days and then on May 7, issued a decision which allowed Millstone Unit #2 to re-start. In his decision, the judge recommended that Millstone install a fish return system but did not require it. "We are appealing this case because we believe that the judge made large errors in favor of Northeast Utilities and because the issue is an extremely important one. "If commercial fisherman were killing the same amounts of fish as Millstone they would be fined and out of business and yet these reactors are allowed to operate in violation of the law while the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection sleeps on the job," added Smith.
Print-Friendly Page | E-Mail a Friend