‘Undefined’ Sightings: Pa. State Emergency Management Director Acknowledges Receiving UAP Reports
UAP sighting locations include nuclear power plants, the official admitted.
The director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has admitted that his agency and other state authorities have received reports of anomalous objects near some of the state’s nuclear power plants and across the state.
The PEMA director’s frank remarks occurred during an appropriations hearing at the state capitol on Wednesday morning following a question from State Rep. Ben Waxman (D-Philadelphia) about unmanned aerial systems and unidentified anomalous phenomena sighted at nuclear facilities.
“Given the growing proliferation of sightings of drones, unmanned aircraft, and other unidentified aerial phenomena, what is PEMA’s role in encouraging the reporting and tracking of these unknown objects and potential threats?”
David Padfield, in a lengthy answer, added that they work closely with nuclear power facilities when an “event of potential public interest that is reportable to us from the nuclear power plants” occurs.
“We have had reports of unidentified flying objects in the past. Sometimes they are attributable to astronomic [sic] phenomena, or astrologic [sic] phenomena. But we look at actually making sure that we’re sharing that information with the proper authorities. We have a great relationship with the Pennsylvania State Police and obviously local law enforcement.”
Padfield then moved on to talking about the concern his agency shares with federal officials regarding unmanned aerial systems (UAS) over sensitive locations such as nuclear facilities, adding that addressing this problem is the responsibility of federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
After Waxman concluded his questioning, Majority Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia), with seeming disbelief in his voice, asked Padfield a follow-up question:
“So wait – run that back again. What did you say about UFOs?”
“We do occasionally get reports through the county 9-1-1 centers and we will look into them. Some of them are just anomalies within the constellations that people see when planets line up,” said Padfield. “Some of them may be associated with activity around military installations, such as Fort Indian Town Gap. Most of them are attributable to some other –”
“You say most,” Harris interrupted as light laughter spread throughout the chamber. “So what about the ‘un-most’?”
“So, so, some of those are undefined. They’re hard to be able to understand.”
Anomalous objects have been spotted near nuclear power plants across the United States and internationally for years. More recently, in December 2022, a witness reported a silent, triangle-shaped aerial object with three lights operating near the Limerick Nuclear Power Station in Pennsylvania, according to a local news story.
In 2022, the Office of the Director of National Security produced a classified report that examined, among other aspects of the phenomena, the prevalence of UAP in sensitive U.S. airspace, including over nuclear power plants.
The events “continue to occur in restricted or sensitive airspace, highlighting possible concerns for safety of flight or adversary collection activity,” the ODNI said in its 2022 report.
Waxman has long held an interest in UAP and is currently a member of Americans for Safe Aerospace. While UAP are not his first priority as a legislator—his constituents, for example, are potentially facing severe cuts to public transit that he is trying to prevent—he plans to bring up the subject of UAP occasionally in his legislative work when appropriate, including in upcoming appropriations hearings with other agencies “if the opportunity presents itself.”
“I just think it's an interesting issue that piques the curiosity of many people,” Waxman told the UAPR. “Politics and government don’t have to be boring. I think this kind of topic can help engage the general public in a way that isn't deeply partisan or polarized. I like that.”
You can watch the full exchange below.