WASHINGTON –  Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) today assailed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for continuing its string of follies on safety and security standards for the Indian Point nuclear facility and the emergency response plans for the communities surrounding the plants.

 “Once again, the federal agencies responsible for security at our nuclear facilities have thrown standards out the window,” said Lowey, who called for the decommissioning of Indian Point in February 2002.  “NRC is playing a dangerous game, rewarding Indian Point’s continued security and operational failures with the highest rating possible.  Less oversight certainly won’t solve the problems at Indian Point.”

 As reported by The Journal News today, NRC has given Indian Point a “green” rating, which is the highest, in its year-end assessment. A formal complaint filed by William Lemanski, a former Entergy employee, last September suggests that Entergy repeatedly neglected serious flaws in its electrical systems.  In fact, the NRC concluded, “IP2 continues to contend with relatively large elective maintenance and corrective action backlogs…Plant events and inspection findings indicate some continuing issues with the consistency and thoroughness of technical evaluations and timeliness of corrective actions.”  Indian Point experienced so many unplanned shutdowns from March 2002 to August 2003 that NRC decided to conduct a special inspection of the facility.  Following the issue of the “green” rating, a NRC official even said of the plant, “they still have a lot on their plate.”

 In addition, FEMA has decided to base its upcoming recertification of the emergency evacuation plans for the communities surrounding the facility on drills to be conducted in June.  Like last year, the agency has decided to ignore the refusal of three counties and the state of New York to sign off on certification forms for the plans.

 “When state and county first responders are not confident in our emergency plans, alarms should go off at FEMA.  Instead, the agency has turned a blind eye to concerns raised through its own certification process,” Lowey said.

 “I have introduced legislation to make local approval of emergency plans a prerequisite for the operation of any nuclear power plant.  If FEMA will not stick to its word voluntarily, Congress can hold the agency to it.”