Selectmen call for NRC hearing on Seabrook nuke plant evacuation plan

HAMPTON FALLS -- Selectmen are calling for a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on evacuation plans for towns within 10 miles of Seabrook Station, but an NRC spokesman said no such meeting is in the works.

The board sent a letter to NRC Chairwoman Kristine Svinicki dated June 1 calling for a public meeting to inform residents about evacuating the area in the event of a problem at the nuclear power plant located one town over. The letter cited concerns raised by the Massachusetts watchdog group We the People led by whistle-blower Stephen Comley, whom selectmen wrote “has been aware of serious weaknesses in the evacuation of residents in the Seacoast.”

Selectmen said in their letter they have not accepted or rejected the allegations of any group but “believe in educating the public with regards to safety and evacuation.”

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the commission does not plan to hold a meeting, as off-site evacuation plans are overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, not the NRC. The NRC is only responsible for on-site emergency responses at the plant, according to Sheehan. He said FEMA has continued to indicate it has a “reasonable assurance” that evacuation plans can be effectively carried out.

Read more: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180620/selectmen-call-for-nrc-hearing-on-nuke-plant-evacuation