Close Indian Point Campaign Gains Momentum as

Elected Officials Up the Ante

Security, energy replacement, and the evacuation plans for the Indian Point nuclear power plants located in Buchanan, NY were dealt with recently at both the federal and state levels of government by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), and State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-NY), respectively.

The efforts to close Indian Point gained new momentum in the last two weeks, as elected officials took the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Entergy Corporation to task on critical issues involving the nuclear power plants that are situated in the densely populated New York metropolitan region. Over 20 million people live within the 50-mile radius of Indian Point.

These announcements were released, as the Department of Homeland Security issued warnings that Al Qaida may be gearing up for cargo plane attacks on prime US targets such as nuclear plants, bridges and/or dams.

IPSEC spokesperson, Mark Jacobs, commented, “Some of the strongest statements to date have been made by elected officials against Entergy and Indian Point in recent weeks. IPSEC’s effort to close Indian Point has always enjoyed strong supported from elected officials. Over 300 officials, to date, have called for Indian Point’s closure. Most recent, members of Congress and the NY State Assembly have up the ante by taking strong steps to show definitively that Indian Point’s power is unnecessary, to highlight the plant’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks and to upgrade security, and to show that Indian Point’s emergency plan is badly flawed and unable to protect the public.”

SECURITY AGAINST CARGO PLANE ATTACKS ON NY NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS NEEDED

(November 12, 2003) Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, in response to recent intelligence reports that warn of possible attacks on U.S. nuclear power plants by terrorists using cargo planes, urged Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, to consider combat air patrols over the state’s nuclear power plants, including Indian Point. Senator Clinton also inquired whether air intercept drills have included defending against attacks on nuclear power plants.

Senator Clinton’s press release can be found at: http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2003/2003B12407.html

$1 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS SECURED FOR ENERGY ALTERNATIVES TO INDIAN POINT

(November 7, 2003) Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced that she has successfully secured over $1 million in federal funds to study energy options and alternatives to Indian Point. The study will be conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. This study will be partially funded by the Electricity Transmission Research Program at the Department of Energy. Final approval of the funding is expected the week of November 17^th.

Several studies over the past eighteen months by reputable energy experts have proven that the region’s energy demands can be met with Indian Point permanently closed. Westchester County is also pursuing a similar feasibility study.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s press release is available upon request.

For an in-depth analysis of energy alternatives, go to www.ipsec.info.org/issue brief 2.htm

Riverkeeper’s primer on energy alternatives is available upon request.

COAST GUARD REQUIRED TO REPORT ON VULNERABILITY OF INDIAN POINT

(November 5, 2003) The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2003 (H.R. 2443) was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5, 2003. Attached to this bill was an amendment, authored by Congressman Eliot Engel, which requires the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the vulnerability of Indian Point from an attack launched from the Hudson River. The findings, expected after a one-year review, will be given to the House committee on Transportation and the Infrastructure and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Senate.

On September 11, 2001, one of the hijacked planes that flew into the World Trade Center flew directly over Indian Point. Indian Point’s vulnerability from the river has been revealed by numerous news reports.

Congressman Eliot Engel’s Press Release can be found at: www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny17_engel/pr11052003.html

For more information on the security gap at Indian Point, please visit our websites: www.ipsecinfo.org and www.riverkeeper.org.

APPEAL ARGUES EVACUATION PLAN FAILS TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

(November 5, 2003) Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, along with nearly 50 other elected officials, filed a 350.15 Appeal with the Federal Emergency Management office, requesting that FEMA overturn its July 25, 2003 approval of the Indian Point Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan. The appeal cites numerous flaws with the current evacuation plan, including: 1) the Evacuation Time Estimates (ETE) do not meet federal requirements; 2) areas chosen for shadow evacuation is random; 3) family separation and reunification are not included in the evacuation time estimates; 4) the plan relies upon government information control and secrecy; 5) the plan does not account for non-English speaking residents; 6) food and water supplies are not adequately protected; 7) there are no considerations for a radiation release from outside the containment building.

Assemblyman Brodsky is also calling for new hearings on the political and lobbying activities of ENPAC, Entergy’s lobbying arm.

James Lee Witt, the nation’s leading expert in emergency planning, found in January 2003 that the evacuation plans for the 10-mile radius around Indian Point were not adequate to protect the public, particularly in the even t of a fast-breaking scenario.

Assemblyman Brodsky’s press release is available upon request.

###