Lowey bill would give counties future Indian Point siren fine money

Lowey bill would give counties future Indian Point siren fine money
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: July 21, 2007)
WHITE PLAINS - Federal and county elected officials from Westchester yesterday said Indian Point's new siren system was broken and announced congressional legislation to channel future fines for missed deadlines to help surrounding counties offset emergency budgets.
"I believe that Indian Point represents an unacceptable threat to our region and should be shut down," Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, said in announcing the legislation from her district office on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.
"However, as it remains operational, the surrounding counties should not be forced to bear such great financial burdens in preparing for an emergency situation involving the plants," she said, "especially given Entergy's repeated safety and security failures."
Entergy Nuclear Northeast, the owner and operator of the Indian Point facility, agreed nearly two years ago to replace the decades-old siren system that serves Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange counties after repeated problems with the system and congressional legislation requiring a major overhaul to add backup power.
Entergy officials said they are working hard to overcome hurdles that have appeared since they agreed to install the 150 new sirens.
The company already has missed two deadlines to deliver the system, and after the second, in April, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined Entergy $130,000, which went into the U.S. Treasury in compliance with federal regulations.
Officials for the counties asked the NRC for that money to defray their costs but were turned down.
"We said that if the counties were interested in getting fine money they needed to pursue legislation calling for that," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said. "It sounds like that's what they're doing, pursuing that option."
Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said the company should have paid for the system and left its installation to public emergency officials.
"We should be building the siren system. We should be in charge of it," Spano said. "I have to be much more accountable to the public (than Entergy does)."
Michael Slobedien, Entergy's top regional emergency official, said the obstacles to installing the new system are tremendous and the company is working as hard as it can to meet the Aug. 24 deadline.
"For the issues that we're facing, and that the counties are well aware of, the counties are in no better position to handle them than the people we have brought in," Slobedien said. "We have had difficulties with radio frequencies, and there is a great need to have this system be incredibly reliable. I don't see that the counties could bring anything more to the table than we already have."
Lowey acknowledged that the legislation, which Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said she would take to the Senate, won't pass before the August deadline.
Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, who joined Lowey at the announcement, reiterated his support for alternative forms of energy such as wind power.
He said legislation he introduced in February to tie any license renewal at Indian Point to an independent safety assessment of the nuclear plants was being reviewed at the committee level and would not come up for a vote at least until September.
Lowey said other area congressional representatives had voiced their support for the legislation announced yesterday.
Reach Greg Clary at 914-696-8566 or gclary@lohud.com.

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Great, now local communities benefit financially when the sirens of Indian Point do not work. What will happen if a real emergency happens and the sirens are needed? Remember that you were paid off because the sirens do not work?Posted by: The Haverstraw Man on Sat Jul 21, 2007 2:19 am