News from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Albany Press Office / 518-473-5525
New York City Press Office / 212-416-8060

ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO CALLS FOR EXPANDED CRITERIA IN THE RELICENSING OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

~ Cuomo Challenges the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Review of
Indian Point ~

NEW YORK, NY (July 12, 2007) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today
announced the filing of a brief calling for the federal Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) to broaden the criteria considered in the
relicensing of nuclear power plants — an action that could have
implications for the Indian Point power plant. The brief was filed with
the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“This brief raises serious questions about the NRC relicensing
process – a process that ignores important factors about nuclear power
plant safety and is stacked in favor of plant operators,” said
Attorney General Cuomo. “Our brief reinforces a position I have long
held – New York needs to work toward an energy future without Indian
Point.”

Under its current relicensing regulations, the NRC focuses only on the
age-related structural degradation of fixed, non-moving components, like
the reactor core, containment system, pipes, and electrical cables.

NRC relicensing regulations do not call for review of factors such as:

* Location of the plant and local population density
* Security and susceptibility to a terrorist attack
* Acceptable emergency warning and evacuation plans
* Geographic and seismic issues
* Demonstrated compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements

The current relicensing regulations were developed in 1991 and 1995,
when the NRC concluded that limiting the scope of its inquiry would make
the relicensing process “more stable and predictable” for the
licensees. To date, the NRC has granted approximately 48 license
renewals, and it has yet to deny one.

“From its proximity to the most densely populated area in the United
States, to its vulnerability to terrorist attacks, to the lack of an
acceptable evacuation plan, Indian Point presents a vital threat to the
safety of millions of New Yorkers and the residents of neighboring
states,” said Attorney General Cuomo.

Approximately 20 million people – about six percent of the nation’s
population – live within fifty miles of Indian Point. The 9/11
Commission reported that al-Qaeda terrorists had specifically
contemplated attacking nuclear power plants with aircraft, and two of
the planes hijacked on September 11, 2001 flew near or over Indian
Point. 2006 marked the fourth straight year that Westchester, Rockland,
and Orange Counties refused to certify county-based evacuation plans
prepared by Entergy, the plant’s owner.

Indian Point’s original forty-year operating licenses for Reactor
Unit 2 and Reactor Unit 3 end in 2013 and 2015, respectively. In May
2007, Entergy submitted license renewal applications to the NRC for
these reactors. Entergy seeks to extend their operating licenses for
another twenty years, or until 2033 and 2035.

Attorney General Cuomo was joined by Connecticut Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal in filing the amicus brief. The case in which
Attorneys General Cuomo and Blumenthal filed the brief is Andrew Spano
et al. v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2d Cir. 07-0324-ag). It
is currently pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the
Second Circuit.

The brief was filed by the Attorney General as amicus curiae, or
“friend of the court,” in support of a challenge to the NRC
originally brought by Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano and two
New Jersey environmental groups. The Westchester and New Jersey
petitioners seek to compel the NRC to evaluate all aspects that affect a
nuclear power plant’s safety before renewing a license. In December
2006, the NRC refused the petitioners’ earlier request that the NRC
consider additional criteria in the relicensing procedure.

Westchester Country Executive Andrew Spano said, “I am very grateful
to Attorney General Cuomo who has put the tremendous efforts of his
office to help us to protect the public. Both of us feel that the
process must be changed so that there is a level playing field between
the public and the nuclear industry. So far, the NRC has never denied a
renewal. They must reset their priorities when public safety is at
stake.”

The brief was prepared by Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, Special
Deputy Attorney General Katherine Kennedy, Deputy Solicitor General
Benjamin Gutman, and Assistant Attorneys General Morgan Costello and
John Sipos, all of the New York State Attorney General’s Office.