Opinion/Letter: C-10 is focused on safety
To the Editor:
Recently, you published some letters by a party who is not well acquainted with the C-10 Research and Education Foundation (C-10). I thought your readers would like to hear from us directly to learn about what C-10 stands for, and what we do.
C-10 Research and Education Foundation is focused on the safe operation of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant and works to protect people and the natural environment in our special part of the world. C-10, which stands for “citizens within the 10-mile radius,” was incorporated in 1991—soon after Seabrook Station began generating power.
Our key initiatives include: Operating a real-time radiological monitoring network that measures beta, gamma, and wind speed and direction; tracking and speaking out on safety and security concerns at Seabrook Station; and serving as a trusted source of information for our members and the public.
C-10 has always had a good working relationship with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s resident inspectors at Seabrook Station. In a recent conversation, Senior Resident Inspector Christopher Newport told me: “We oversee Seabrook, but you oversee us. I think that’s critical in a functioning society. There’s no such thing as zero-risk. It’s good that you are there watching the decisions being made.”
There are lots of people at NextEra Energy Seabrook and at all levels of government working to ensure the safe operation of the Seabrook nuclear plant, and we like to think of ourselves as part of that continuum. C-10 has been contracted to operate the real-time monitoring network in Massachusetts since 1992, with lawmakers as well as public health and safety agencies seeing value in continuous, independent monitoring of airborne radiation levels.
In New Hampshire, support for the network is growing, with a recent fundraising drive and a $10,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation enabling the addition of four new monitoring stations to expand our coverage area in affected communities. We are hopeful that the state will soon get on board and support this important resource that tracks ongoing permitted releases, and could be used to help protect the public in the event of an accident or other emergency.
Seabrook’s 10-mile emergency planning zone is home to about 160,000 people across 23 cities and towns. Hundreds of thousands of people—from the seacoast, all the way to metropolitan Concord, New Hampshire, Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts—live in the nuclear plant’s 50-mile ingestion exposure pathway, and could be in harm’s way in the unlikely event of a radiological emergency. That’s why scientifically-based data, research and information are so important.
C-10 has been keeping watch and speaking out for three decades. Without us, there would be:
● No independent real-time monitoring of airborne radiation in the communities surrounding Seabrook Station.
● No one calling for stronger oversight of degrading concrete in Seabrook’s containment structures, or bringing world-leading concrete expert Dr. Victor Saouma to compel the NRC to take action.
● No new NRC license conditions requiring more rigorous monitoring of the irreversible concrete condition called alkali-silica reaction (ASR).
● No group tracking and shining a light on safety concerns at Seabrook, and educating the public and elected officials in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
C-10 is a membership organization, and depends on support from people in our community to keep doing this important work. We will work to hold NextEra and the NRC accountable to providing the highest level of safety for as long as Seabrook is operational, and beyond. You can learn more and join us at c-10.org.
Natalie Hildt Treat
Executive Director
C-10 Research & Education Foundation