For Immediate Release February 12, 2003
Media Contacts: Kym
Spell, 212-473-0051
(Riverkeeper)
Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, PhD, 212-544-0045
(IPSEC)
CONCERNED VOTERS AND A GROUP OF BIPARTISAN POLITICIANS FROM THREE STATES SPEAK OUT AGAINST FEMA'S SILENCE ON INDIAN POINT'S "EVACUATION PLAN"
Concerned
Residents Demand FEMA Follow the Lead of County
and State Officials and Refuse
to Certify a Bogus Evacuation
Plan
New
York City – Today, New Yorkers from all walks of life, including a fireman and
an Indian Point security guard, plus elected officials from New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut joined together to call on the Federal Emergency Management
Agency to follow the lead of the four county executives, and the State Emergency
Planning Office and not certify the 10-mile evacuation plan surrounding the
Indian Point nuclear plant
The
plan, which does not even account for the millions of residents in several
states who would be affected by a nuclear meltdown at the facility, has been
deemed unworkable by the nationally-recognized emergency expert and former FEMA
director, James Lee Witt. Despite
these facts and the urging of 260 elected officials, FEMA continues to stall,
ignoring the calls of those living in the path of a meltdown, and has yet to
take a position.
Speakers
at the press conference included: Indian
Point Security Officer Foster Zeh; New
York City Firefighter Dave Morkal; Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal; New
Jersey Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerny; New York Assemblyman Richard L.
Brodsky; Westchester County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz; Riverkeeper Executive
Director Alex Matthiessen; Elizabeth Shanklin of the New York City Campaign to
Close Indian Point; and IPSEC Project Coordinator, Lisa Rainwater van Suntum.
In addition, the following elected officials offered statements, but
could not attend because of scheduling conflicts: U.S.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, New Jersey Bergen County Executive
Dennis McNerney, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano,
and others.
Foster Zeh,
an Indian Point Security Officer, states, “I had to come forward to speak for the guards that I’ve
trained who overwhelming feel that
they cannot defend the plant against a terrorist attack.
The
drills on Sept. 24th showed us clearly – we were able to breech
security 5 separate times and still FEMA and the NRC told us we passed with
flying colors. If that’s not
upside-down logic – what is?” Rough
idea for a quote for Foster – call him to ok
Congresswoman
Nita Lowey (D-NY) released the following statement: “FEMA is playing a
dangerous game with the health and safety of the communities surrounding the
Indian Point power plants. Our
counties do not believe that they can adequately protect the public in the event
of a release of radiation at Indian Point.
That was enough evidence to convince state officials to not certify the
emergency plans, and it should be enough for FEMA.
I am gravely concerned that only a crisis – an attack, a leak a botched
evacuation – will be enough to get FEMA’s attention.
Pretending that the threat against Indian Point does not exist -
considering the very planes that were used as missiles against the World Trade
Center flew over the facility is simply unacceptable. It’s time for FEMA to step up to the plate and be hones
about the inadequacies of the plans.”
In
a letter to FEMA, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D or Rxx-NY) called for public
hearings, “The findings from the report released by Witt Associates have
confirmed many of the criticisms that have been made in recent years by local
communities and residents regarding Indian Point's Radiological Emergency and
Response Plan (RERP). These include
the lack of planning for modern terrorist threats, planning design that does not
adequately account for spontaneous evacuation and the resulting traffic
bottlenecks, the use of outdated technologies, difficulties in communications
and use of evacuation exercises that do not reflect the true status of emergency
preparedness. I therefore urge FEMA
not to certify the Emergency Response Plan and to open public hearings on the
evacuation plan.”
According
to New York Assemblyman Brodsky, “The time for bureaucratic stonewalling has
ended. FEMA must make a
determination of adequacy or inadequacy, and the evidence is clear that it
cannot certify the current Plans as adequate under federal law.”
The
first New York County Executive to refuse to certify the current evacuation
plan, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano said, “James Lee Witt made many
recommendations and suggestions, especially regarding a fast breaking release
that prove that the regulations must be upgraded and more stringent and that
they must be implemented on a federal level – if indeed they can be
implemented at all. If they can’t be implemented or if the federal government
doesn’t get involved in fixing the plan, then Indian Point should be
closed.”
Indian
Point operates within 50 of New Jersey’s Bergen County. Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney has pledged that
Bergen County would sue, if the evacuation plan is not improved.
McNerney said, “I call on FEMA to decertify the safety plans for Indian
Point immediately. The Witt report
outlined in stark detail the woeful lack of safety precautions in the current
evacuation plans.”
Riverkeeper
Executive Director Alex Matthiessen added, “Former FEMA director James Lee
Witt -- the country’s foremost expert in emergency planning – has concluded
that Indian Point’s evacuation plan is unworkable and unfixable given the
current terrorist threat. FEMA must uphold it moral and legal responsibility for
protecting public safety and decertify this plan at once. Anything less would
constitute a flagrant lie to New York’s residents.”
IPSEC Representative Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, PhD said, “FEMA needs to act immediately—New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey residents living within the 50-mile radius of Indian Point have had this target on their backs long enough. FEMA has no other option than to decertify the plans for Indian Point.”
Background
IPSEC
is a coalition of 55 civic, environmental, health and public policy
organizations that formed in response to a flood of citizen concerns about the
safety of the Indian Point nuclear power plants after the attack on the World
Trade Center. IPSEC’s goal is to
ensure that safety and security of residents our neighborhoods by bringing about
the safe and orderly decommissioning of Indian Point.
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