From July 18, 2022 post
MANCHESTER, NH- Following the July 12th false alarm at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) sent a letter to the Chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting a thorough, public review of the false alarm incident as efficiently as possible.
Pappas writes in the letter: "I write to request a thorough, public review of the false alarm incident that took place earlier this week. On July 12, along the coast in my district in the towns of Hampton Falls and Seabrook, nine of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant's emergency sirens at the plant were mistakenly activated. While I applaud the work of local police departments and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to inform the public of the false alarm, this was an extremely distressing experience for many of my constituents."
Pappas concluded:"…while we remain confident in Seabrook's ability to manage a real emergency, it is crucial that the public has access to the fullest possible understanding of what took place and what can be done to ensure it will not happen again. I urge you to conduct a thorough, public review of the false alarm incident as efficiently as possible to identify why this took place, where responsibility may lie, and how it will be prevented in the future." Congressman Pappas called for this review following the July 12 incident in which the siren system at Seabrook Station was activated during a test. Nine of the 121 emergency sirens at the plant were activated, which caused the evacuation of beaches in Seabrook, Hampton, and Rye. On the 12th, Pappas's office alerted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the false alarm.
You can read the full text of the letter here and below:
I write to request a thorough, public investigation of the false alarm incident that took place earlier this week.
On July 12, along the coast in my district in the towns of Hampton Falls and Seabrook, nine of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant's emergency sirens at the plant were mistakenly activated. While I applaud the work of local police departments and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to inform the public of the false alarm, this was an extremely distressing experience for many of my constituents.
Like many in New Hampshire, I remain deeply concerned about the events which led to this incident and how we can move forward. Communities on the Seacoast, especially in the emergency preparedness zone of Brentwood, East Kingston, Exeter, Greenland, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Kensington, Kingston, New Castle, Newfields, Newton, North Hampton, Portsmouth, Rye, Seabrook, South Hampton and Stratham, expect and deserve the clearest possible communication and accountability on this matter.
I have spoken with local officials and community members, and while we remain confident in Seabrook's ability to manage a real emergency, it is crucial that the public has access to the fullest possible understanding of what took place and what can be done to ensure it will not happen again. I urge you to conduct a thorough, public review of the false alarm incident as efficiently as possible to identify why this took place, where responsibility may lie, and how it will be prevented in the future. We urge NRC to take the necessary steps to hear and address the concerns of Granite Staters in the process, to ensure all questions are answered.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for all of your work to ensure the safety and security of our nuclear energy sources.
Sincerely,
Chris Pappas
Member of Congress
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Original source can be found here.
