WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-18) and Congressmen John Hall (NY-19), Maurice Hinchey (NY-22), and Eliot Engel (NY-17) today called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to grant a 60-day extension for intervener petitions to be filed in connection to the Indian Point nuclear reactor license renewal process.

 

“Between missed deadlines, a sleeping guard, and misplaced uranium, August was not a good month for Entergy,” said Lowey.  “New Yorkers are rightfully concerned that Indian Point is not being managed safely, a serious risk for the 15 million people living within a 50-mile radius of the facility.  The public deserves more time to analyze and register concerns about Indian Point’s relicensing.”

 

Intervener petitions give an opportunity for concerned citizens and groups of citizens to register officially their opinion about a pending NRC decision.  In order to be considered in connection with NRC’s potential relicensing of Indian Point, the petitions are currently required to be filed by October 1st.

 

"Entergy's recent and repeated failure to get its siren system up and running is just the latest reminder that there is an extraordinary number of public safety issues associated with this relicensing application, and the public deserves every opportunity to be heard,” said Hall.  “In light of the fact that operations at Indian Point could impact the Hudson Valley for decades to come, it's not fair for the NRC to close the door on concerned citizens at the end of the month.  More time is needed and the NRC should extend its deadline."

 

"Residents of the communities surrounding Indian Point deserve more time to express their concerns over the wide array of problems with the nuclear facility," Hinchey said. "When it comes to public safety, it's imperative that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allow more time for public input on the concerns and questions surrounding safety at Indian Point.  From leaks of nuclear material to guards falling asleep on the job, there are a whole host of very serious problems at Indian Point that need to be addressed before the NRC should even move forward with the license renewal process."

 

Congressman Eliot Engel said, “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission should grant this extension. As the record shows, Indian Point has a shoddy record of missing deadlines, shoddy record keeping, and unsafe practices. After years of the NRC and FEMA turning a blind eye to the threats that Indian Point poses to the surrounding communities, the least that the NRC can do is give the concerned people of the area adequate time to speak out about the numerous problems that Indian Point has created.”

 

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