indianpoint11a

Tuesday, March 8th

Press Conference 3:15-3:45 pm; Arraignment at 4 pm

Buchanan Village Court

236 Tate Avenue, Buchanan, NY 10511

DETAILS: Press conference with Gary Shaw of IPSEC (Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition) and representatives from anti-nuclear and anti-pipeline groups and music, to be followed by arraignment in the court, with supporters in attendance.  Sally Gellert of the Indian Point 11 speaks for the group: “We are pleading guilty because we did it and are proud of what we are doing to make our community safer.  Nothing else has worked. We might need to do something similar in the future. The reactors are a continual danger to us all.”

BACKGROUND: On December 12, 2015, at midnight, the last of the licenses expired permitting the operation of Entergy’s aging nuclear power plant, Indian Point Energy Center.

The plant is sited within an earthquake zone, within one mile of two faults, perilously close to millions of people in Westchester County, the New York City metropolitan area, and beyond. Earlier on Dec. 12, at a demonstration in front of the company’s entrance, several dozen placard-bearing citizens blocked the entrance with a yellow “caution” tape. When ordered to leave by local and state police, eleven remained, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

The plant has been in the headlines recently for tritium leaks into the Hudson River and for contamination of the groundwater with radioactivity at 400 times the safe limit for drinking water (all N.Y. groundwater, and the river, is considered drinking water).  Tritium is a carcinogenic form of hydrogen, which is produced by nuclear activity. Entergy has refused to replace the fraying flood seals at Indian Point. The plant has had numerous “incidents” over the years, including a transformer fire last May.

In addition, the Algonquin Incremental Market Pipeline, a 42-inch pipeline for fracked gas, is being laid by Spectra Energy Corporation within 105 feet of critical safety equipment at the nuclear plant. Activists including ResistAIM and Sane Energy Project have raised awareness of the grave threat to the health, safety, and lives of millions.

The State of New York has responded to these concerns of scientists and the public by rejecting Entergy’s application to use the Hudson River to cool the “hot” fuel rods, and Governor Cuomo has charged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rescind approval for the pipeline pending an independent safety analysis.

We are asking the public to call Governor Cuomo to support his demand for the closure of Indian Point and cessation of construction of the Spectra AIM pipeline, and to call for transition to a safer future with renewable energy and stronger efficiency and conservation measures.

For more information, contact JK Canepa at 917-648-4514 or jk.nycag@gmail.com