August 5, 2016 

The Honorable Kathleen O’Connor Ives 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

State House, Room 215 

Boston, MA 02133-1053 

Dear Senator O’Connor Ives: 

On behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter 

of May 10, 2016, regarding Seabrook Power Station, which is operated by NextEra Energy 

Seabrook, LLC (NextEra). In your letter, you and three other members of the Massachusetts 

State Legislature urge the NRC to withdraw the operating license for Seabrook due to concerns 

regarding the capability to evacuate the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ), and concrete 

degradation due to an alkali-silica reaction (ASR). 

For the reasons stated below, based on NRC inspection and oversight, the NRC 

continues to conclude that Seabrook is operating safely and does not pose undue risk to public 

health and safety. Thus, the NRC does not have a safety or legal basis to modify, revoke, or 

suspend the operating license for Seabrook. 

There are predetermined protective action plans in place for each U.S. nuclear power 

plant’s EPZ. These plans are designed to avoid or reduce doses to the public from potential 

exposure to radioactive materials. The NRC works in partnership with the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure the adequacy of onsite and offsite emergency plans 

and preparedness. FEMA has the responsibility for assessing offsite emergency preparedness, 

including coordination and implementation of radiological protection guidelines. The NRC has 

responsibility for assessing onsite emergency planning and preparedness. The NRC relies on 

FEMA to provide a reasonable assurance finding on the adequacy of offsite emergency 

response programs, including the means for evacuation of the public. The NRC requires plant 

operators, as a condition of their license, to develop and maintain emergency preparedness 

plans. Ultimately, the NRC has the overall responsibility for determining that there is reasonable 

assurance that adequate protective measures can and will be taken in the event of a 

radiological emergency at an NRC-licensed facility. 

Each nuclear power plant’s 10-mile EPZ is based on consequence analyses of various 

reactor accidents, including its design-basis accidents, and protective action guidelines issued 

by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Based on the NRC analyses, studies, and 

independent evaluations, as well as the numerous exercises and drills of offsite and onsite 

emergency plans and preparedness that have been conducted at every nuclear power plant site 

over the past few decades, the NRC believes the 10-mile EPZ provides reasonable assurance 

that adequate protective actions can and will be taken in the event of an emergency. In 

addition, our regulations require that measures be established to prevent, within a 50 mile 

radius, ingestion of radioactive material in potentially contaminated water or foodstuffs in the 

event of an accident. 
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New Hampshire have the overall 

authority for making protective action decisions (sheltering, evacuation, etc.) for ensuring the 

safety of their citizens during a radiological event. Their radiological emergency plans for 

implementing those decisions were developed by their respective emergency management 

agencies and subsequently approved by FEMA. 

These plans and strategies are demonstrated in full-scale biennial exercises with the 

NRC, FEMA, and State and local officials that are assessed by the NRC and FEMA. On April 5, 

2016, both the NRC and FEMA evaluated the Seabrook biennial exercise. The NRC did not 

identify any findings or violations. Enclosed is the NRC’s report of NextEra’s performance. 

With regard to the concrete degradation, the NRC continues to fully inspect and assess 

NextEra’s actions. The NRC reviewed NextEra’s engineering evaluations to date and has 

determined that there are no immediate safety concerns and that ASR-affected structures at 

Seabrook remain capable of performing their intended safety functions. The NRC continues to 

perform inspections approximately every six months. These inspections focus on NextEra’s 

actions to monitor the effects of ASR by visual observations and measurements, and its 

performance in assessing the results for potential impact on structural capability. A 

comprehensive list of NRC actions and correspondence on this topic is available on the NRC 

website at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/concrete-degradation.html. 

The NRC expects NextEra to complete its evaluations and to submit to the NRC a 

license amendment request with its proposed resolution of the ASR conditions affecting 

Seabrook structures. This submittal will be subject to NRC review. 

 I hope this information is useful to you. Please be assured that the NRC shares your 

interest in ensuring Seabrook operates in a manner that protects public health and safety. If 

you need any additional information please contact Nancy McNamara, NRC Region I Office 

State Liaison Officer, at (610) 337-5337. 

Sincerely, 

/RA/ 

Stephen G. Burns 

Enclosure: 

As stated 
Identical letters sent to: 

The Honorable Kathleen O’Connor Ives 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

State House, Room 215 

Boston, MA 02133-1053 

The Honorable Daniel Wolf 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

State House, Room 405 

Boston, MA 02133-1053 

The Honorable Ann-Margaret Ferrante 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

State House, Room 26 

Boston, MA 02133-1053 

The Honorable James Kelcourse 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

State House, Room 130 

Boston, MA 02133-1053