Chapter 503 of the Acts of 1982—the “Nuclear Power and Waste Disposal Approval and Legislative Certification Act”—is a Massachusetts law that puts strong, democratic checks in place around nuclear power and its radioactive waste.

This law does three main things:

1. Voter approval for new nuclear or low‑level waste facilities: No new nuclear reactor or low‑level radioactive waste facility can be built in Massachusetts without a statewide vote (a referendum).
   

2. Proof of a permanent high‑level waste solution: The legislature must certify that a permanent, long‑term repository for high‑level nuclear waste exists before any new nuclear reactor can be built.
   

3. Voter say on whether the reactor is the best energy option: Even if a reactor is proposed, voters decide by referendum whether it optimally meets the state’s energy needs.

Governor Healey wants to overturn these democratically-adopted guardrails in order to open Massachusetts to the nuclear industry. Six lawmakers—three from the Senate, three from the House—are currently meeting in closed-door committee sessions to determine whether we can vote on our energy future or not: whatever final compromise they negotiate will be sent to the Governor. Tell them to keep these guardrails in place!