Indian Point Spokesman Opposes New Riverkeeper Report; Says Plant is Safe Despite Fears Over Fukushima
Indian Point and the New York Area Energy Coalition opposed Riverkeeper and Environment New York’s report released today.
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Two citizen environmental groups claim a new report shows that Indian Point Energy Center poses a threat drinking water for more 11 million people, but Indian Point says there is little basis for their claims.
Riverkeeper and Environment New York claim that a new Environment New York study shows that if a catastrophe like Fukushima’s 2011 melt down occurred in New York “radiation exposure could contaminate our drinking water and increase the risk of cancer and other illnesses.” During an afternoon press conference on Tuesday, the Hudson River Program Director of Riverkeeper, Phillip Musegass, and a field organizer from Environment New York, Eric Whalen, summarized the report, “Too Close to Home: Nuclear Power and the Threat to Drinking Water,” and said Indian Point puts 11 million New Yorkers’ drinking water at risk and that the nuclear energy plant should not be relicensed.
Indian Point spokesman Jerry Nappi and New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance refute these claims, stating that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found IPEC to be safe, and that it is virtually impossible for a Fukushima level catastrophe to hit the Hudson Valley. Nappi said there is no proof that there are radiological risks associated with contaminated water.
“They make comparisons with Fukushima and what happened over there so you have to start with how these plants are designed,” Nappi said. “Indian Point is designed to withstand twice as much flooding as the worst flooding this area has ever seen and 100 times greater than the worst earthquake we have ever experienced.”
Nappi said there was evidence that the Fukushima area had experienced worse tsunamis than the one that caused last year’s meltdown. Nappi also said that even in the case of the Three Mile Island accident, when a third of the plant’s fuel melted down, there were no radiological consequences.
“Indian point is designed to keep radioactivity inside the containment zone,” he said, adding that Indian Point was designed with extra precaution because of its location.
The environmental groups look at Fukushima as a warning. “Fukushima shows us the risks are real and the consequences (of an accident at Indian Point) could be catastrophic and worse than what we saw in Japan,” Riverkeeper’s Musegass, said at the press conference. Musegrass and Whalen highlighted other findings in the new report, claiming: Indian Point threatens more than twice as many people than any other nuclear facility in the country (because of the threat to drinking water); that Unit 2 was recently shut down because of a pump that was leaking radioactive coolant, that local bodies of water used to help cool nuclear reactors are at risk of contamination and that as nuclear facilities get older leaks are more common. The report Whalen summarized states that IPEC should not be relicensed, for ground water to be monitored in the mean time, and for the facility to be replaced with an alternative energy source.
In response to Riverkeepers’ claims, Nappi said that there was no release of radioactivity when the pump seal failed on Jan. 10, (Unit 2 was shut down on that day and the reactor was returned to service on Jan. 19); and there is no proof that local bodies of water are at risk of contamination. In response to whether or not leaks are more likely as plants age, Nappi said that the seal pump that recently failed was only installed a few years ago and that many parts of the reactors are regularly replaced and are not aging. Regarding ground water tests, Indian Point has ground water monitoring wells on site that serve essentially as an early warning system to show if a pip was leaking anything into the ground water, Nappi said.
The New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (which will hold a forum with Riverkeeper at Columbia University on March 1) agrees with Nappi that the plant is safe, despite Riverkeeper’s claims that it’s age makes it more vulnerable to accidents. AREA says that “Indian Point is getting even safer as lessons about best practices are learned and applied through the nuclear power industry. Indian Point also makes the region cleaner and safer by helping ensure a reliable grid, through clean power production.”
During this afternoon’s press conference Musegass said that the new study includes information about a wide-range of alternative energy sources that could replace Indian Point in five to ten years. A Riverkeeper document states that “The current surplus of electricity capacity in downstate New York and the availability of imported power means that if Indian Point is not relicensed and shuts down in 2015, and no other actions are taken, there will be no impacts on reliability of electricity supply in the region until 2020, providing ample time to plan for and put in place the energy alternatives.”
Indian Point Units 2 and 3 are up for re-licensing in 2013 and 2015, respectively. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the plant's equipment can operate safely for next 20 years, Nappi said. The relicensing process will reach a point where contentions are heard by a separate branch of the NRC in the form of public hearings, to be held sometime this spring.
Keep up with the latest on Indian Point public hearings, protests, relicensing process and information on Patch.
Shar
7:13 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
So the EPA is at it again...trying to use scare tactics to get their way...I wouldn't be surprised if the EPA sabotaged our drinking water.
Chris
7:30 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Hmm the River keeper...... Said something negative about indian point.... no i don't believe it... If the plant ever closes i hope the people behind river keeper will be willing to pay the people of ny the added cost of purchasing electricity from other sources...
Rich Thomas
12:01 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A review of the facts will show that since Entergy took over ownership of Indian Point, the Hudson River has improved exponentially. Indian Point’s owners understand the value of the Hudson River as a natural treasure and local environmental and preservationist resource. They have gone to great lengths to ensure that it is protected from hazards and pollutants. Indian Point has also spent nearly $100 million to develop and implement new technologies to protect fish populations in the Hudson. These are facts that are often overlooked by reports from these groups.
James B
12:42 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
It's quite amazing how some people just cant see this is two groups with an "agenda based" liberal attack on Nuclear Power and so called "what if doomsday" scenarios, even though the "what if" senarios arn't realistic? (im sure you guys cant wait for the premier of the new Nat Geo show Doomsday Preppers next tues night, enjoy, lol) I agree with Peter's assessment on Patch, and also the "one sided" approach knowing what they want in a so called report before the research is even done regauardless of "facts". Daily life is a risk from getting out of bed to crossing the street which has a much higher risk of killing you than Indian Point does. You cant live your life with these crazy idea's and "worring" about or comparing other completely different accidents in other countries to Indian Point. And for all of you who like to live in the Pompei/Mt Vesuvius era, its 2012, it must be so sad to live your life in the past, how unpleasent. Like some others who have comented here i also live in Buchanan for decades and couldn't agree more with the mis-information put out about indian Point, so please why dont you enlighten your life today and get the facts for yourselves rather than "what someone tells you", just because someone makes a statement doesnt make it true, get the facts and the truth will set you free. Indian Point, clean, safe and most of all, VITAL.
Tom Siracuse
5:08 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The facts: Indian Point is built on two earthquake faults. Although Entergy says IP can withstand a 6.0 quake, the U.S. Geologic Service said that IP's #3 reasctor has the highest risk of earthquake damage of ALL 104 nuclear plants in the U.S. No one can predict how powerful an earthquake will b e. Besides the earthquake danger, a nuclear plant can fail because of human error such as Three 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl. The NRC has cited IP many times for safety violations and admitted to radioactive leaks. This must affect the Hudson and the surrounding environment. Radioactive nuclear waste that remains lethal for thousands of years is stored at nuclear plants. No one wants it stored in their backyards. Cancer rates are much higher in areas that are near nuclear plants such as Buchanan than the national average. In case of a serious accident, a study authorized by Gov. Pataki concluded that there was no way the population in danger could be evacuated. Germany and other nations whose dependence on nuclear energy is higher than the U.S. are phasing out nuclear power, and so can we. Yes, James, you can get killed crossing the street but why cross a street full of speeding vehicles when you can walk a little further and take the pedestrian bridge over the street? James, Indian Point or any nuclear power plant, can never be clean, safe or most of of all, VITAL.
Remy Chevalier
1:20 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Shar, Chris, James B, Rich Thomas, all paid shills for Entergy reading from the same play book, same tired propaganda lies, trying to game the system confronted with rapidly diminishing public support, $40 million of Entergy PR money busing in evangelists from the Bronx to NRC meetings wearing brand new t-shirts, feast at the inn, down the drain. Indian Point is a stain on the nuclear power industry, not even your colleagues at the NRC want to see it relicensed, because it's become such a PR nightmare! New York will breathe free when Indian Point finally pulls the switch, giving birth to a boom in alternative technologies, creating new jobs and opportunities, bringing back real tourism to the Peekskill area, increasing property values. The selfishness of just a few Union bosses putting undo pressure on local business groups to unwillingly support the relicensing is disgusting.
Chris
3:32 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
yea you tell em Remy its one big conspiracy and you are the only one intelligent enough to figure it out......
Francis T McVetty
6:36 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tom,you write [Cancer rates are much higher in areas that are near nuclear plants such as Buchanan than the national average.] Can you tell us where you got that from?
Francis T McVetty
6:38 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Remy, What, where? [giving birth to a boom in alternative technologies]
Francis T McVetty
6:40 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tom, Where do we get the electricity that will be lost from closing the plant and at what cost?
Remy Chevalier
3:43 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Riverkeeper one word, it helps with Google searches, thank you... and yes Chris, thanks for the compliment, even though I know you're being sarcastic, it's in fact the truth. I am not the only one intelligent enough to figure it out, but imposing a premature version of nuclear power on humanity before it was ready is indeed a conspiracy, of both ignorance and greed, just ask the liquid fluoride thorium reactor folks!
Francis T McVetty
12:14 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Remy, The US Navy has been nuclear powered for over 50 years. You use the word "premature"' ? Nuclear power is safe and if we could get Harry Reid off his fat posterior and open Yucca Mountain then we would have a place to safely store our nuclear waste. We have spent over 98 billion dollars [2008] to build this site and Harry has stopped its opening. Where is the concern for our citizens there? If you close the plant, what do you do with the spent rods? Leave them there? No they are protected by an armed force. What happens when the plant is closed?
Alosa Horribilis
3:54 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
To those of you who dispute the findings of the Riverkeeper/NRDC report, I would say: Read the report first!
It's found here at http://www.riverkeeper.org/news-events/news/stop-polluters/power-plant-cases/synapse-energy-consultants-to-present-testimony-at-new-york-state-assembly-public-hearing/
For those who say that Indian Point is somehow making the river better, you're either completely uninformed or completely mendacious - decades of studies, including a 2004 EIS by NY State, show without a doubt that Indian Point kills over a billion fish, eggs and other aquatic life, including endangered shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon, every year from its use of Hudson River water - this doesn't include the long term damage to the ecosystem from 100degree water being dumped into the Hudson continuously, or the leaks of radioactive water that will leach into the Hudson for decades to come.
and to those who say Riverkeeper has an agenda, you're right: its agenda is to protect and restore the Hudson River, and in the case of IP, to protect the region's population and environment by closing down this old, dangerous, unnecessary plant and transitioning to a safer, cleaner energy future.
These are the facts - everything else is propaganda and pablum.
Francis T McVetty
12:03 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Alosa, study in 2004. This is 2012!!!
Joanie Sirefman
3:55 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I agree with Chris...Riverkeeper needs to find a new target-this is getting old! And a tsunami in the Hudson?? Really!
Remy Chevalier
4:49 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Oh Joanie, such bad faith, it's never been about a tsunami on the Hudson. It's about the chronic number of incidents at Indian Point over the years which amount to dodging one bullet after the other, to the point when now, perpetually broken sirens and useless evacuation plans would be pointless after crying wolf so many times. It's about either an earthquake, human error or multiple system failure which would decimate the most densely populated area in the country. Indian Point should have never been built where it is, it should have been closed years ago, we're pushing our luck, and now that's it is up for relicensing, the responsible thing to do for all concerned is to make sure the NRC accepts the responsibility of retiring this radioactive mess of concrete.
Rich Thomas
5:17 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Remy - New York AREA is not a "paid shill" of Entergy. Our mission is to advocate for a clean energy platform that is affordable and reliable for all of New York. With the planned and ongoing infrastructure projects in the tri-state area, power from Indian Point will be needed more than ever. We embrace wind and solar technologies, but understand that the future cannot be written without nuclear.
Remy Chevalier
5:44 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Of course New York AREA is a paid shill for Entergy. Entergy funds NY AREA!
Leadership
•Arthur J. (“Jerry”) Kremer, Chairman
•Richard Thomas, Director
•Amber Sisson, Deputy Director
•Paul Steidler, Director of Communications
•Tom Butler, Director of Development & Member Programs
•John Tuller, Director of Community Relations
New York AREA Advisory Board Members
•Heather Briccetti, The Business Council of New York State
•Richard T. Anderson, New York Building Congress
•Matthew Cordaro, former president and CEO of the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO)
•Gavin J. Donohue, Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc.
•Dr. Marsha Gordon, The Business Council of Westchester
•Denis Hughes, New York State AFL-CIO
•Tom Klein, Boilermakers Local No.5
•Norris McDonald, African American Environmentalist Association
•Al Samuels, Rockland Business Association
•Bob Seeger, retired Millwright and Machinery Erectors, Local 740
•Kathryn Wylde, Partnership for New York City
FactChecker
6:08 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
10 years ago Entergy Corp was seen as a real-life manifestation of Montgomery Burns, a bumbling corporation jeopardizing the well-being of New Yorkers for profit, just 35 miles north of Times Square. Then Entergy hired Burson-Marsteller, the public-relations giant that has represented such black hats as Union Carbide, Philip Morris and the regime of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Suddenly, the words “Safe, Secure, Vital”-Entergy’s now-ubiquitous Indian Point rallying cry-were on the mouths not only of official company spokespeople but of local officials and facility employees whose jobs and livelihoods, they explained, depended on the plant’s continuing operation. This was a PR job of the highest magnitude, just like the Clean Coal mantra, spin the exact opposite of what it actually is. The plant is proven Unsafe with numerous documented safety malfunctions and leaking pipes, Unsecure with no evac plan and now we have the detailed report which lays out how very Unvital it is. This is why citizens, doctors, scientists, engineers, The NY Attorney General, the Governor and every environmental group concerned about clean air and water and the health and safety of New Yorkers are fighting for it closure.
happypatcher
6:29 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
That's all fine FactChecker, bla bla bla. But who in the REAL WORLD is going to keep the economy of Buchanan going, or pay for their high priced police force, or buy the fireworks for Peekskill Celebration or give bucks to the Paramount? Who big guy you?
Lets pay attention to the important things, not some "maybe"nuclear disaster that will only kill or give cancer to a few hundred thousand people. Get Real!
Shar
6:21 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I bet they ARE!
Shar
6:04 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
The problem with liberals, they believe in Fairy Tales and throw pixy dust around and hope it falls in the right places.
The electric car? Hello, the energy fuel comes from coal or nuclear power plants.
Tom Siracuse
11:29 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Francis McVetty asked two questions: 1) Where did I get the cancer rates from and 2) How will we make up for the electricity lost if IP is closed and at what cost?
1) The European Journal of Cancer in 2007 cited the German KiKK study (Childhood Cancer Near Nuclear Plants) which reported that children under rthe age of 5 had a 60% higher risk of cancer! Baker & Hoel reviewed 17 international studies in 2007 which showed that not only children but adults near nuclear plants had higher cancer rates. The Archives of Environmental Health issued a report on 2/1/2003 that children under the age of 10 living within 30 miles of the 14 nuclear plants in the eastern U.S. had a 12.4% higher cancer risk.
2) The NY State Committees on Energy and Corporations stated on Jan. 31 that investment in the exisiting grid, energy efficiency and completion of projects already planned "will provide more than enough electricity to allow closing IP without overburdening the taxpayer or threatening reliability".
Francis T McVetty
11:57 am on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Let me get #2 first. ["will provide more than enough electricity to allow closing IP without overburdening the taxpayer or threatening reliability"] Do you believe the government? Secondly it doesn't say that it will cost less or even the same, it says it won't overburden the taxpayer. What are they, code words. Let them state that the electricity won't cost anymore that it does now being supplied by IP. Bet they won't ! You just don't reach out and generate 2000 Giga watts of power out of no where. When will these "projects" come on line?
Francis T McVetty
12:00 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Now #1. If the facts that you state are true, dating back to a study in 2003, why hasn't it been all over the news? This study was done in 2003. Have there actually been any studies since then? The plants in Germany were made by the Russians and you know who well they are made. NOT!
Francis T McVetty
12:23 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Should read 2000 Megawatts, not 2000 Gigawatts.
Tom Siracuse
12:45 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Please Google" Assembly Committees Say Indian Point Can Be Shut" for more info on their findings. You ask why we should believe in the government. I would ask why we should believe in Entergy in whose interest it is to continue making mega profits. Would IP's closure affect the surrounding towns' economy? What would happen to their economy if there were a serious nuclear accident? The NRC just rejected Entergy's fire safety plan and what about radioactive leaks in the past? Why not invest in renewable, clean and safe energy such as solar and wind? Would not that provide jobs and stimulate the economy?
As far as why the cited cancer studies have not been in the press, I can only say that the press has been woefully remiss in its reportring on important issues.
Steve Lazer
2:25 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
The people supporting IP's continued operation have only one agenda - keeping the plant operating to keep the cash rolling in. This antique nuclear plant generates $2 million per day! No risk is too large to take with so much at stake, and they will say anything to justify their continued operation. They're not bad people, it's simply human nature to protect your financial interests even if it means risking catastrophe for millions of "strangers".
Francis T McVetty
3:17 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Yeah Steve, those evil capitalists. Making money and creating jobs while doing so.
Chris Clement
7:07 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
Of the 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S. how many besides 3 Mile Island had a serious problem? None that I know of. I refuse to live in fear for the rest of my life because I reside within the 50-mile radius of Indian Point. It's like saying I should live in fear on a daily basis because of terrorists. Fear-mongering by those opposed to Indian Point does not phase me in the least. Until the time that another inexpensive means of producing energy is found I consider Indian Point important and vital.
Remy Chevalier
10:18 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
Sounds to me like you live in fear of solar power!
Francis T McVetty
4:58 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Remy, the sun can cause cancer of the skin, beware of the sun!!
Remy Chevalier
8:11 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Yes, and that's why people wear sun block, and hats... I don't look forward to a world where we can't go outside without putting on NBC gear! You're retired, you play with your guns, think about teenagers and the world they will face in a couple decades when all these nuclear power plants start to fail one by one, as it just happened again in California. You're living in a delusion of nuclear safety engrained into you by conservative propaganda. As you expose yourself to the litany of accidents suffered by the Native American community, hosting communities, etc... you'll have no other choice but to reach the same conclusion as the rest of the anti-nuclear community, nuclear power is a sordid way to boil water and produce electricity, it's an Orwelian nightmare now requiring massive security forces just to keep the fuel out of the hands of potential wackos, islamic or patriot fanatics. It would be fine if Indian Point was located in an isolated area 20-30 miles from a population center, but it's NOT, it's smack in the middle of 50 million Americans! Entergy, the residents of Buchanan who live under a rock, have NO RIGHT to subject the rest of us to such a level of risk so they can keep living in their deluded version of a 1950 America which is long vaporized into global corporatism.
Liz Claire
5:13 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
The answer isn't rolling the dice and talking statistics, Chris Clement. It's in producing meltdown-proof nuclear energy. We are smart enough to know how to do it. Entergy may not want it, but we should pursue it. This article explains how big money opposed the better technological solution because they couldn't profit from the cement needed by the likes of Entergy. There is no need to take huge risk when we know how to avoid it and deliver the same solution in a safer manner. It's time to change the model of how we deliver nuclear energy. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/china.html
Remy Chevalier
8:03 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
Yes Liz, and until you do, until you figure it out, please don't use citizens as guinea pigs! Shut down Indian Point!
marilyn elie
12:59 am on Saturday, February 4, 2012
Not a good week for Entergy.
The NRC denied their request for exemption from the fire safety standard - they were the only plant in the country not in compliance.
The headline for the preliminary findings of the Assembly Committee was "...Findings Show Indian Point Can be Shut Down." Lots of details included and Chairman Brennan was quite miffed that Entergy did not provide information he requested on price, quantity of power generated, sales through the ISO, contracts and operating costs. He reminded Entergy that state laws require them to provide NYS with this information.
Sturgeon were declared endangered which means you cannot kill one even by accident. Which happens regularly and routinely as billions of galleons of water are sucked into the intake to cool the plant and also happens on the other end due to the thermal pollution when the now heated water is dumped back into the river.
The DEC hearings in Albany on Entergy's appeal of closed cycle cooling installation are winding down. Looks like the are slated to loose this one as they have all the others because of the massive amount of scientific evidence showing the damage done to the ecosystem of the Hudson River by the plant.
marilyn elie
1:01 am on Saturday, February 4, 2012
Not a good week continued:
The Office of the Comptroller announced that it was investigating all of the nuclear power plants in NYS, starting with Indian Point to see if pension money invested in them was at risk.
The plant had an unexpected shut down and the lights did not go out and the subways in NYC operated just fine, thank you very much. Unless you follow the issue you probably did not even notice.
Entergy stock continues to decline, now it is about on par with junk bonds. They had to sell a transmission company to raise a few billion dollars and the big payment on their balloon loan that they used to buy Indian Point and a couple of other nukes will be due soon. We don't even need to bring up their problems in Vermont.
And, oh yes. The Governor of the State of New York wants to see it closed and is actively supporting replacement energy - should it be needed. The Attorney General has 17 fat three ring binders filled with lots of legal reasons the plant should not be relicensed. Expect a hearing this summer.
It's a hard time for the nuclear cowboys riding the range around Buchanan, if only they knew...
Francis T McVetty
4:07 pm on Monday, February 6, 2012
Marilyn, that shut down was during the winter, just wait for a hot summer and see what happens.
Bob Ogden
4:51 pm on Monday, February 6, 2012
Ok I have a question if you folks can quit screaming at each other and give me an answer I'd really appreciate it. I know that when they had the disaster in Japan they needed to evacuate a 50 mile radius from the plant. Given that, let's say there is a disaster of some kind and let's not go into it's going to happen tomorrow or it's never going to happen argument. How do we evacuate a 50 mile radius from the plant which by the way is about the distance from Indian Point to E. 34 St. & 5th Avenue in Manhattan? Seems like an impossible task. I am a supporter of nuclear power but I think this one may just be in the wrong place.
happypatcher
6:15 pm on Monday, February 6, 2012
Peekskill Pete, it's obvious, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. James T. Kirk will arrive and "beam" everyone to Space Mountain at Disney World. If that fails most of us will die or get cancer. But remember there is only one James T. Kirk and he doesn't fail! I hear he is leaving Priceline for Entergy - we be cool!
Bob Ogden
6:34 pm on Monday, February 6, 2012
Thanks Happy. I feel better now.