Tour keeps Indian Point in the spotlight
The region”™s power players on the county and congressional levels spoke in chorus last week before the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a tour of Indian Point in Buchanan, saying the nuclear plant ”“ from its sirens to its geological substrata ”“ is now a front-burner issue, placed there by events half a world away in Japan.
Those who were looking for the government to derail Indian Point”™s relicensing of its two operating reactors ”“ a process due for completion in 2013 and 2015 ”“ or, conversely, who believe talk of earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hudson Valley is poppycock and the plant is safe would all have been disappointed. The executives mostly staked the middle ground as their own, pleading for safety while recognizing the realities of Indian Point”™s power and tax-revenue generation. Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, though he signed off on the joint statement, said later he still wants the plug pulled via the relicensing process.
“The bottom line is that the plant meets our rigorous safety standards,” NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said. Work regarding ongoing issues such as spent-fuel storage and groundwater contamination continue uninterrupted, he said.
Jaczko”™s visit was unrelated to relicensing.
Ongoing seismic and other safety-themed studies will continue. Relicensing remains on track. And for now there will be no expansion of the emergency evacuation radius from 10 miles to 50 miles.
In a press conference after touring Indian Point and then meeting in private at the Westchester County Airport, county executives Rob Astorino of Westchester, Paul Eldridge of Putnam and Vanderhoef, plus Orange County Emergency Services Director Walter Koury, standing in for County Executive Ed Diana, delivered a statement that read in part: “our paramount concern is safety.” They also acknowledged the energy, jobs and taxes Indian Point provides.
The executives”™ statement said, “Our approach as county executives is to work closely together to gather information aggressively, assess risks objectively and manage risks in a fact-based way that protects all the interests of the citizens.”
U.S. Reps. Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel had toured the plant earlier in the day with the county executives. Speaking for Rep. Nan Hayworth, Don Scott said Hayworth had toured the plant two weeks ago.
If Indian Point were to shut, Buchanan Mayor Sean Murray said in March, some 2,000 wind turbines or a new coal-fired plant would be needed to replace it. Indian Point also floats 30 percent to 32 percent ”“ $1.9 million annually ”“ of the village of Buchannan”™s annual tax take.
Vanderhoef restated his opposition to relicensing, saying, “Cheap electricity is not worth one injury.”