Business group endorses Indian Point license renewal

Business group endorses Indian Point license renewal
(Original publication: June 2, 2007) Journal News
The Westchester County Association's board of directors has strongly endorsed Entergy Corp.'s license renewal application to operate its two Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan.
About 30 to 40 members of the 60-member board were on hand May 17 for a presentation by Larry Gottlieb, director of communications for Entergy Nuclear Northeast. The board, which had invited Gottlieb to speak, voted unanimously afterward to endorse the renewal.
In a statement released afterward, board Chairman Stanley Freimuth said that the two power plants produce between 18 percent to 38 percent of the energy used in the region.
"This meeting not only underscored the importance of nuclear energy in sustaining the area's economic vitality, but it also demonstrated that Entergy has made substantial investments to address safety and security issues," Freimuth said in the statement.
Freimuth, board Co-Chairman Mark Rollins, and association President William M. Mooney Jr. could not be reached for comment. The power facility has had five unplanned shutdowns in 18 months and recently paid a $130,000 fine over problems related to its new emergency siren system.
On Monday, a broken water valve at Indian Point 2 led to operators taking it off the state power grid while repairs were made. The recent problem hasn't appeared to change the association board's thinking on the license renewal, said Amy Allen, the group's managing director, advocacy and international business.
"I can't speak for the whole board," Allen said, "but I haven't heard any clamor that we should rethink supporting it."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing Entergy's application to extend the licenses for 20 years. The license for Indian Point 2 expires in 2013, and the license for Indian Point 3 expires in 2015.