Influx of hundreds of temporary workers to surrounding community comes as Seabrook undertakes a month-long refueling process

Massachusetts (April 20, 2020) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-04) are calling for answers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and NextEra Energy about how they are protecting workers and the health of the community surrounding the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant during the coronavirus pandemic as it begins a month-long refueling process. In a letter sent today, the lawmakers query the Commission about recent notifications to licensees, such as Seabrook, that they may seek exemptions from regulatory requirements during the pandemic. The NRC has also directed inspectors across the nuclear fleet to shift to remote monitoring of plant operations, even during the refueling process, raising questions about ensuring the efficacy of inspections. Additionally, the NRC announced it would allow licensees to apply for temporary exemptions from requirements for work control hours, which would mean longer shifts by workers and the need for heightened oversight to ensure safe operations.

And in a separate letter to NextEra, Senators Markey and Warren and Rep. Moulton request a copy of the company’s pandemic plan and a staff briefing, highlighting the need for clarity around safety procedures with hundreds of temporary workers and contractors engaged in the refueling process at Seabrook. Refueling workers at another nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania have already tested positive for the coronavirus.

“This large influx of workers into the confines of Seabrook portends dangerous conditions conducive to the spread of the coronavirus – not only among the contract workers, but among the permanent employees and surrounding communities that provide food, housing, and other essential services to the entire Seabrook workforce,” write the lawmakers in their letters to NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki and NextEra Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Robo. “

A copy of the letter to NextEra can be found HERE. A copy of the letter to the NRC can be found HERE.

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