Indian Point safety under close watch

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 Letters to the editor

Indian Point safety under close watch
Regarding your editorial ("Nuke plant needs broader review," July 29) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission already looks at safety and terrorism prevention constantly - pre-9/11, post-9/11, during license renewal and with or without an Independent Safety Assessment. It is one of the main reasons why independent experts on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff are stationed at Indian Point daily. If the commission found the plants to be unsafe at any time, they would be closed immediately.
There is a popular misconception that an Independent Safety Assessment would be more rigorous than the process already in place. Indian Point is already the most intensely inspected plant in the country, with more than 14,000 inspection hours last year as compared to approximately 9,000 for facilities of comparable size. The assessment would be redundant, to the point of being distracting.
Your editorial makes a very important point: "State and federal governments are in dire need of comprehensive and realistic energy solutions." We do indeed need to increase the state's energy supply through a diverse mix of sources including renewables such as wind and solar.
We also need to maintain 24/7 baseload sources of power, like Indian Point, especially because they emit practically zero carbon emissions or toxic chemicals.
Replacing Indian Point's power with the mix of other sources serving New York would increase carbon emissions by 14 million tons annually. It would also further degrade the state's air quality, which is among the worst in the country.

Arthur J. Kremer, Advisory Board Chairman,
New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA), New York City