Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel repeated his call today for the closure of Indian Point following his tour of the plant with Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko and Congresswoman Nita Lowey.Rep. Engel was the first New York Member of Congress to call for the plant’s closure, and maintains the position that the plant is dangerous to the New York City region and beyond. 

(Rep. Engel is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and spoke with Chairman Jaczko at a committee hearing last week – to hear his comments, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsBDgszQNF0)

“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  This is an antiquated plant that would never be built today in this location, and no matter what you dress it up as it is still just a plant whose time has long passed.  To me, 9-11 was a game changer,” said Rep. Engel.  “One of the hijacked planes flew over Indian Point on its way to the World Trade Center. That, combined with the discovery that blueprints for nuclear facilities in the U.S. had been found in Taliban areas of Afghanistan, opened my eyes to the extreme peril of having these plants where they are now located.  Terrorists are seeking vengeance for our killing Osama bin Laden, and the New York area is a prime target, with Indian Point a tempting location for a strike.”

Rep. Engel has actively pursued his criticism of Indian Point and his concerns about its safety in light of the plant’s poor history and the tragedy in Japan.  In addition to his years of opposition, in 2011 alone he has:

• Requested, with Rep. Lowey, that the Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on the licensing of nuclear facilities located within an evacuation area containing a high population
• Advocated closing the plant in a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, following the Secretary’s comments that the Energy Department would be taking a close look at Indian Point, especially the risk of its location to NYC in the event of a catastrophe.
• Introduced the Nuclear Disaster Preparedness Act (HR 1694) to require the President of the United States to issue guidance on the Federal response to nuclear disasters.  Currently, it is unclear who would be the lead agency should a disaster such as the one in Japan occur. 
• Co-sponsored the Nuclear Power Licensing Reform Act (HR 1268), which would require the NRC to evaluate relicensing applications for nuclear power plants with the same stringent criteria used to license new plants.
• Co-sponsored the Nuclear Power Plant Safety Act (HR 1242) to impose a moratorium on the issuance of nuclear licenses until new safety requirements are in place.  Such as, ensuring the plants and spent fuel rods can withstand natural disasters, making sure the plants have emergency backup plans and systems to withstand prolonged power outages and other lessons learned from Japan.

“The list is long as to why Indian Point is a danger.  The evacuation plan is insufficient as the population of New York City and the Hudson Valley region is too large to be able to flee on existing escape routes.  No regional county executive has signed off on the evacuation plan.  The 25 million people within the 50-mile radius are the largest concentration in the U.S., and in Japan, residents were told to get out of the 50-mile radius.  Why it is downplayed domestically, I have no idea,” added Rep. Engel.  “The plant sits near two fault lines.  Entergy says it can withstand a 6.1 Richter Scale earthquake, higher than the record for this area of 5.25.  However, Japanese scientists were confident no earthquake more than 9.0 would strike and provide such a devastating tsunami.

“In addition to these concerns, there are also the environmental problems.  The plant has had a long history of leaks in the Hudson River and is near the region’s water supply.  While replacing the power is a concern, it is not impossible.  The power supplies anywhere from 4-20 percent of the region’s electrical needs, and that must be made up.  The Lovell plant in Stony Point is an option, as are plans such as the Cross Hudson Cable Project and the Champlain-Hudson Power Line.  It can be done, and we should be pursuing all options to help us remove this potential catastrophic accident from the heart of the Hudson Valley and only 25 miles from America’s largest city,” added Rep. Engel.

###