Hinchey, Lowey, & Engel Urge Thorough Indian Point

Hinchey, Lowey, & Engel Urge Thorough Indian Point
Review By Visiting NRC Commissioner

February 17, 2006

Washington, D.C. - Next week, a commissioner from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will visit the Indian Point power plants to discuss emergency planning with plant operators, local officials, and first responders. Several area Members of Congress today wrote to Commissioner Gregory Jaczko to urge him to use his visit and tour of the facility to conduct a thorough evaluation of flawed response and evacuation plans.

"It is my sincere hope that Commissioner Jaczko uses his visit to Indian Point next week for more than a photo opportunity with the press," Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY22) said. "New York residents living and working near Indian Point need real action from the NRC on the safety of the plant and not just comforting rhetoric. It would be a wasted visit if Commissioner Jaczko didn't come away from his visit to Indian Point with a clear understanding that a lot of work has to be done to investigate the plant's operations and evacuation plans in order to safeguard the people of New York and the surrounding areas."

"For years, I have warned that we need more federal oversight of Indian Point, so I am pleased NRC Commissioner Jaczko is making this trip. NRC must take this opportunity to do more to make sure there is a feasible plan in place to protect our communities in the event of a disaster," said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY18). "The emergency response plans still include longstanding deficiencies."

"Even though I have repeatedly called for closing Indian Point, while it remains open we must do everything in our power to ensure that it is safe and that our citizens are prepared in the event of an emergency. I commend NRC Commissioner Jaczko for making this trip to Indian Point and look forward to hearing his observations," said Congressman Eliot Engel (NY17).

Commissioner Jaczko, one of five NRC commissioners, will come to the area for stakeholder meetings, a visit to the Traffic Management Center, and a tour of Indian Point on February 22nd and 23rd.

Lowey and other Members today asked Commissioner Jaczko to examine several problems with the facility and the emergency response plan, including:

• The failure of the plan to include a fast-release scenario caused by a terrorist attack;
• Shortcomings in interoperable communications capabilities among first responders;
• The likelihood of self-evacuation rather than compliance with the directions of government officials;
• The lack of first responder confidence in the plan, in part driven by a shortage of appropriate equipment;
• The geographic and transportation limitations which constrict evacuation; and
• Inadequate public education both inside and outside of the 10-mile evacuation zone.

The text of the letter follows:

Dear Commissioner Jaczko:

We are writing today to thank you for your recent decision to visit the Indian Point Energy Center
and meet with state and local officials at the Traffic Management Center at Hawthorne, New York. As you know, emergency planning for Indian Point is one of our highest priorities, and we have a number of concerns about the viability of the current emergency plan.

The preponderance of evidence shows that the plan is fundamentally inadequate and that NRC ought not to recertify it. Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt, who completed an evaluation of the plan in 2003, uncovered glaring deficiencies, and local and state officials have now repeatedly refused to certify the plan on the grounds that it would not be effective during an emergency.

It is not sufficient to primarily examine the ability of local first responders to execute their roles in an emergency; the plan must also be evaluated for its overall likelihood of success. We request that, as part of your visit, you examine whether the myriad problems raised in the Witt report as well as the concerns of local officials have been addressed. Specifically, we request that you investigate:

• The failure of the plan to include a fast-release scenario caused by a terrorist attack;
• Shortcomings in interoperable communications capabilities among responders;
• The likelihood of self-evacuation rather than compliance with the directions of government officials;
• The lack of first responder confidence in the plan, in part driven by a shortage of appropriate equipment;
• The geographic and transportation limitations which constrict evacuation; and
• Inadequate public education both inside and outside of the 10-mile evacuation zone.

It is our strong belief that the orderly and successful implementation of the current emergency plan would be impossible given the population, geography, and transportation challenges in the surrounding area. As a result, the NRC must take action now to address these unique circumstances and begin the process of seriously evaluating Indian Point's place in our community.

We hope that you will use this visit and meeting to investigate these concerns and to draw on the expertise of local officials in preparation for the NRC's pending decision on recertification of Indian Point's emergency response plan. We look forward to your findings.

Sincerely,

Nita Lowey,

Maurice Hinchey,

Eliot Engel

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny22_hinchey/morenews/021706indianpointletter.html