Latest local hearing drew a bigger turnout than other recent sessions, and included many supporters and protestors with signs

CORTDLANDT - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held two public meetings Thursday in Cortlandt Manor to discuss Indian Point's Draft Supplemental Impact Statement for the proposed license renewal of its two nuclear power generators. Renewing the license will allow Indian Point to stay in operation for an additional 20 years.

Hudson Valley and New York City residents spoke both in support and opposition to the license renewal. Supporters cited the health issues caused by fossil-fuel burning plants in the area, specifically the rate of asthma among New York City children, the importance of tax revenue and the amount of power generated at the plant. Opponents’ arguments included security risks, storage of nuclear waste and the environmental harm done to the Hudson River and surrounding land areas.

Deborah Branchato, a staff attorney for Riverkeeper, said that the NRC did not adequately analyze the amount of nuclear waste produced at the plant and that the conclusions reached on the adverse effects on the aquatic life were either incomplete or incorrect. 

“Generally, we just don't feel at this point...that the NRC in this document has performed sufficient analysis to support their end conclusion that relicensing is warranted,” said Branchato.

Paul Steidler of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (NY-AREA) refuted the claims made about the detrimental environmental impacts caused by the power plant. “It's rather interesting that the claims about the Hudson River did not come out until May of last year, and that prior to that the Riverkeeper organization and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. were widely talking about how healthy the river was,” he said.

“We view this as a desperate, last-minute attempt to try to raise some type of issue, because they haven't been able to do it on the safety, on the economics, and certainly not on the job and environmental benefits that come about,” he said. “The Hudson River is thriving, there's fish throughout it, it's undergone a renaissance during the time that Indian Point has operated there over the last 30 years, and we think those are claims that have no scientific basis and won't stand up to scientific scrutiny.”

The draft supplemental environmental impact statement can be read at http://nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/indian-point.html. To comment on the statement, email IndianPointEIS@nrc.gov or mail them to the Chief, Rules, Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. NRC, Washington, D.C. 20555.