Operator NextEra has proposed to move key emergency response capabilities 1,200 miles off-site, with delays in response time expected
Washington (December 21, 2023) – Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that requests a careful evaluation of the License Amendment Request (LAR) submitted by the operator of the Seabrook nuclear power plant, NextEra Energy. NextEra’s LAR proposed to consolidate emergency response services, increase emergency response times by 50 percent, and move key emergency response staff from on-site to a building in Juno Beach, Florida.
The lawmakers wrote in the letter, “This new proposed plan would limit emergency response capabilities, including by increasing the distance between the off-site emergency response facility and nuclear power plants managed by NextEra. As a result, communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire that live within the emergency planning zone of NextEra Energy’s Seabrook nuclear power plant would be exposed to greater risks, if an emergency should occur. As such, we urge you to uphold the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)’s mandate to ensure that nuclear power plants do not jeopardize the safety of the environment and the public by carefully evaluating NextEra's LAR and rejecting any changes that would increase threats to communities living near nuclear power stations.”
In 2021, Senators Markey and Warren sent a letter to the NRC, urging the Commission and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) to take additional measures to address structural degradation at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station caused by alkali-silica reaction (ASR). In 2019, Senators Markey and Warren, along with Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06), successfully pushed for public meetings and hearings before the NRC took action to renew or amend the Seabrook plant license. The senators previously called on the NRC to address safety concerns before any license extensions are issued.
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