Journal News Jan 14 2003 Indian Point

A small earthquake in Westchester and the release of a report that deemed the area's evacuation plans unsafe have prompted the Rockland County Conservation Association to push for congressional hearings on the closing of Indian Point nuclear power plants.

Reps. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, and Sue Kelly, R-Katonah — each of whom represent Rockland in Congress — were asked by the association to hold the hearings to determine the fate of the Buchanan plants.

Frank Leonard, member of the association's board of directors, said yesterday that spokespeople for all three representatives told him the group's requests would be forwarded to Washington, D.C.

"It really calls for the weight of a congressional hearing," Leonard said. "We're talking about life or death here for an awful lot of people. If that isn't worthy of the Congress, I don't know what is."

Leonard said it had been the association's long-standing position that Indian Point be closed. He said it was a terrorist target and a place where accidents could happen.

On Friday, a report released by a consulting firm headed by James Lee Witt, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said current evacuation plans "are not able to protect the public from an unacceptable dose of radiation."

Then on Friday night, an earthquake centered in Hastings-on-Hudson shook parts of Westchester. The small quake measured only 1.2 on the Richter scale, but created concern for residents living near the plants.

Leonard said the two incidents prompted him to leave messages for members of Congress over the weekend. Then, with the support of the association, he called back yesterday to inquire about the hearings.

"We're looking to get people to swear under oath," Leonard said, "and start telling people the truth about Indian Point."

The association is also seeking support from Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and the county Legislature. Legislature Chairman Sal Corallo, D-Thiells, said that while he supported closing the plants, he wanted to explore the association's requests.

Corallo asked Leonard to provide him with more information. He plans to share it with the Legislature's newly formed Environmental Committee, which is in the process of sending a letter to Vanderhoef stating its support for the immediate closing of Indian Point.

An Indian Point spokesman welcomed federal input yesterday. "In light of the Witt report findings, it's important that the federal government weigh in," said Jim Steets, a spokesman for Entergy, the Louisiana company that owns Indian Point.

"Entergy welcomes a dialogue that involves the federal government and its willingness to do its part to make improvements to the plant." Steets said that while the Witt report criticized the evacuation plan, it was still in compliance with federal regulations.

Legislator Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, and Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, chairwoman of the Environmental Committee, are among those who have asked Vanderhoef to refuse to sign the "checklist," the first step in re-certification of the evacuation plan. "I think they saw what it was and gave their opinion on it," Corallo said of the Witt report. "It's something that shows that there is a concern and it has to be looked at."

The report criticized nearly every aspect of the regional evacuation plans, including the planning process, equipment, the plans' underlying premises, the ability to handle modern terrorist scenarios, communications between local agencies and the size of the area that would be affected by a successful terrorist attack.

After it was released, Kelly released a statement that said she thought the plant should close temporarily while the issues raised in the report were addressed. "It is clear that current safety plans at Indian Point are inadequate," the statement read. "The Witt report itself states that the current evacuation plans 'are not adequate ... to protect the people.' That is simply unacceptable."

Rob Ostrander, spokesman for Kelly, said yesterday that he was unaware of the association's request for a hearing, but said the matter was likely handled by someone else.

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Rockland conservation group seeks hearings on Indian Point