Recently, New England officials, researchers and industry representatives gathered at UMass Lowell to create a regional roadmap for new nuclear development, as State House News Service’s Sam Drysdale reported [“Nuclear having a moment, but hesitation is real,” Gazette, Oct. 3].

Opponents protesting across the street reminded us that nuclear power still has serious health, safety and economic risks.

In his opening remarks, host Sukesh Aghara, a professor of nuclear engineering at the school, announced: “Nuclear is already part of this region’s ecosystem.”

Reframing this tells a different story — that the experiment is failing. Of the eight nuclear power plants that went online in New England, only three remain active. But hundreds of tons of toxic radioactive waste crush the New England ecosystem — needing isolation for 100,000-plus years, stored in failure-prone, above-ground casks that could corrode in as little as 30 years.

Let’s reframe Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper’s statement: “We shouldn’t take resources off the table before we fully understand them.”

Instead, we shouldn’t put resources on the table until we fully know they’re safe. Massachusetts’ citizens have expressed their desire to be the arbiter of when and if that time comes. But that right is in jeopardy. Gov. Maura Healey is seeking to repeal M.G.L. Chapter 503, a 1982 law approved by 67% of voters that requires statewide voter approval before building new nuclear facilities. Chapter 503 doesn’t ban nukes, but also requires sensible prerequisites like permanent waste storage and an evacuation plan.

Gov. Healey claims nukes will be cheap, reliable, and clean. But even when they work, experience shows that nuclear is the most expensive to build, habitually way over budget and years behind schedule. Ask the residents of Fukushima how safe it is.

A legislative conference committee will soon determine if Chapter 503 will be repealed. The Massachusetts House voted to repeal without discussion, while massive public pressure kept it out of the Senate bill. Please contact your legislators, especially the six conference committee members who’ll decide 503’s fate, listed at: https://www.nukebusters.org, and demand they preserve Chapter 503.

Cliff McCarthy

Belchertown