As Japan’s nuclear crisis deepens, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered a full safety check for the Indian Point Energy Center, located 24 miles north of the city.
Even though some feel the plant in Buchanan, N.Y. is essential to New York’s power needs, Cuomo and other lawmakers have been in favor of closing down the aging facility.
State lawmakers are fearing a situation similar to the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan, where emergency workers were forced to leave a leaking power plant after radiation levels increased.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined that Indian Point, which lies along New York’s Ramapo seismic fault line, is the domestic plant with the highest risk of core damage from an earthquake.
“I understand the power and the benefit, but I also understand the risk. And this plant in this proximity to New York City was never a good risk,” said Cuomo.
“The NRC simply does not function as a regulator. The NRC today is to nuclear power is what the [Securities and Exchange Commission] was to Wall Street three years ago. We had a financial meltdown there. You have a real meltdown at Indian Point,” said former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. “You won’t be able to throw money at it and hope it goes away.”
Scientists say a major earthquake is unlikely to occur near Indian Point, but they cannot rule out the possibility.
Some advocates say now is the time to rethink whether to keep the plant open.
Entergy, the company that owns Indian Point, said in a statement Wednesday that Indian Point is “designed to withstand an earthquake greater in size than the area has ever experienced,” and that the East Coast of the United States does not receive the type of strong earthquakes and tsunamis that affected Japan.
The company also said that Indian Point will review its ability to respond to disasters over the next 30 days.
At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, U.S. Senators slammed the regulatory agency empowered to protect public safety from nuclear energy problems.
“Okay, let’s take’s take another look at these places that have seismic activity. Let’s shut down temporarily the ones that are pre-1980,” said Senator Barbara Boxer of California. “I don’t hear anything pro-active, and I worry about that. Why should I not worry about that? Please tell me why I shouldn’t worry about that when I go asleep tonight?”
“Well as I said, senator, first of all we are going to be looking very seriously at what has happened in Japan. And if we get information that tells us that there’s a safety issue, we’ll take action on that immediately. And so, we are not doing nothing,” countered Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko.
The NRC is said to be reviewing Indian Point’s application for a new 20-year license.
(Read More: NY1)
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One Response
all they do is get on the bandwagon and complain after the fact . how about giving us in nyc the same electric rates that the rest of nys pays no matter how far out in the boondocks a person lives.
this cheap electric comes from niagra falls