Indian Point Nuke Woes Continue as Croton Group Seeks More Oversight

This just in from the folks at Croton Close Indian Point (CrotonCIP), “…CrotonCIP, Riverkeeper, and the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC). have been trying to obtain an Independent Safety Assessment of Indian Point. This assessment would require the NRC to hire independent experts to conduct a thorough investigation into the operational systems of Indian Point to determine if it is safe to operate. This Independent Assessment is needed because:

1. the plant is at the end of its life expectancy,
2. it is still not clear where the radioactive leaks are coming from and how they affect the environment,
3. Entergy is seeking to renew their license to operate the plant for another 20 years,
4. the NRC has not always been on top of the safety issues at Indian Point;
5. workers at the plant are afraid to raise safety issues, and
6. the public deserves to know whether or not the plants are operating safely.”

Additionally, the group notes their current activities as, “CrotonCIP and others have been working to obtain support for the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA). Only Congress can demand that the NRC conduct an ISA. Last year, bills were introduced in the U.S. House and the Senate. They will have to be reintroduced with this new Congress, and we hope that will happen soon, In the meantime, we are gathering support locally. So far the following municipalities and counties have passed resolutions calling for an ISA and the following political leaders have called for an ISA.

• City of Beacon
• Governor Spitzer
• Representative Christopher Shays
• Representative Eliot Engel
• Representative John Hall
• Representative Maurice Hinchey
• Representative Nita Lowey
• Rockland County
• Senator Hillary Clinton
• Town of Cortlandt
• Town of Putnam Valley
• Town of Ramapo
• Village of Croton-on-Hudson
• Village of Ossining
• Westchester County Executive Spano

They also note, “We will continue to work to generate more support for the ISA. Your calls to your elected officials and letters to the editors regarding the ISA would be most welcome. And that they, “…will let you know, as soon as we can, what else you can do to ensure that and ISA is performed on Indian Point.”

Read recent news related to the Entergy-owned Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants in Buchanan, New York.