AG Cuomo Opposes New Indian Point Reactor Licenses
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Longtime critics of the Indian Point nuclear power plant gathered Monday for what they hoped would be a "tipping point'' in the battle to shut the plant's two reactors -- announcement of the state's opposition to new 20-year licenses.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said the state had filed papers with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission listing 32 reasons the licenses should be refused, including that the reactors are susceptible to terrorist attack, that the area around them cannot be safely evacuated and that their aging structures increase the chance of a radioactive leak.
He called Indian Point, which is 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan in Buchanan, "a catastrophe waiting to happen.''
The attorney general was joined at a crowded news conference by members of Congress, state legislators, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, most of the Westchester County Legislature, County Executive Andrew Spano and citizen activist groups. While no new arguments were presented, several speakers' anti-nuclear statements were applauded. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky called the event "historic.''
The plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear, and several industry groups counterattacked with news releases and a teleconference to put forward their own oft-expressed arguments -- that the two reactors are safe, that they keep energy prices down and that shutting them would be a blow to the region's environment and economy.
"When you consider that the New York City subways and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro-North trains are among just a few of the key governmental facilities that depend on power from Indian Point, the importance of a reliable, lower-cost supply of electricity becomes clear,'' Entergy said.
Many of the issues raised by Cuomo and other speakers may be irrelevant to the relicensing process. The NRC, which has never denied a relicensing application, has made clear that such issues as terrorism and evacuation will not be considered, under the existing rules. Efforts are under way in court and in Congress to force the NRC to expand its review.
Alex Matthiessen, president of the environmental group Riverkeeper, said the NRC is "corrupt'' and said the energy industry has ``had them in their back pockets for decades.''
NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci said, "We have regulations that we enforce, and all of our work is done very openly and honestly.''
Cuomo said he was aware of the NRC's requirements but was sure that some of the state's contentions would be deemed worthy of a hearing, even if the terrorism and evacuation issue were not.
Though Cuomo said he supported an immediate shutdown of Indian Point, he and other opponents were clearly focused on the license applications as a more realistic opportunity to close the plant. Cuomo said he envisioned "a protracted legal battle,'' and he added, "I think today is a tipping point. We have a critical mass today.''
He and others insisted that Indian Point's power could be replaced with conservation and energy alternatives including natural gas, wind and hydropower. Rep. Nita Lowey said she hoped the 2008 elections would produce a president who could change the NRC and a Congress more likely to oppose big energy companies.
Screnci, the NRC spokeswoman, said the commission's Atomic Safety Licensing Board would grant a hearing on any issues that it considered relevant. She said "it could be a couple of months'' before a decision is reached on the state's papers. A decision on the licenses, which would allow the two reactors to run until 2033 and 2035, is more than a year away.
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