Friday, August 10, 2007 Indian Point required to have new sirens working in 2 weeks Feds: Verification must be provided
BUCHANAN - Two weeks from today is the deadline for Indian Point to have its new emergency warning system working, and plant officials remain hopeful they can deliver on time despite regulatory questions that remain unanswered.
Federal officials expect the notification system to be loud enough to be heard in each of the 150 areas covered by individual sirens and are requiring Entergy Nuclear, Indian Point's owner and operator, to ensure that.
The sirens are spread across the parts of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties that fall within a 10-mile radius of the nuclear power plant.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's top regional official on the project said Wednesday the agency must be able to verify that minimum sound levels are reached or it won't approve the project by the Aug. 24 deadline.
"They have not proven to us that the siren system can meet our basic regulations and guidance for siren sound coverage throughout the emergency planning zone," said Rebecca Thomson, branch chief for FEMA's radiological emergency planning group.
"They haven't provided us with any data to prove that," Thomson said. "What they provided is outdated and no good anymore because it was projected based on how the sirens were supposed to sound."
FEMA is acting on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees Indian Point's operation, including emergency planning.
Meeting deadline
Entergy officials said they were working to deliver the data FEMA needs in time to make the deadline and have moved ahead with local emergency staff training and other requirements as quickly as possible.
Training started this week, company officials said, and is expected to be finished by Aug. 21.
Entergy is up against its third deadline since agreeing to install a $15 million alert system in the fall of 2005.
The company asked for and received a 75-day extension from the nuclear regulatory agency after regulators agreed the project needed more time than the Jan. 30 deadline allowed.
The agency wasn't as forgiving after the company missed an April 15 deadline, fining Entergy $130,000 and requiring a plan to finish the project within a reasonable amount of time - Aug. 24 became the new target.
"I think we can resolve the issues that need to be resolved by then," Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said. "We're certainly driving toward that."
At least one county official involved in the project is skeptical that the latest deadline will be met.
"I suspect that they will not resolve it by the 24th," said Anthony Sutton, Westchester County's commissioner of emergency services. "We didn't want to be in this place as we go toward the deadline."
Sound is issue
One of the main questions is whether the sirens must meet a minimum of 70 decibels in louder areas and 60 decibels in quieter areas - or whether all sirens must be at least 10 decibels louder than background noise in each area.
Residents in the emergency planning zone have complained during months of siren testing they can't hear the new sirens as well as they can hear the existing sirens.
Thomson said yesterday field tests showed some of the sound coverage falls as much as 44 percent short of what was designed.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency was aware of the remaining obstacles and was in daily contact with the nuclear plant about the sirens. He said agency officials would continue to monitor the project's progress.
Thomson was complimentary of the new system, saying it would be one of the best of its kind in the country once it's installed properly. The current system will remain in operation until the new system is approved.
"The system is complex," Thomson said. "It's going to have a lot of bugs. We just can't say 'Turn it on and make it the primary system' until we're convinced that the sound coverage is adequate."
Monday, August 13, 2007
Entergy will conduct a full volume test of all the
Entergy will conduct a full volume test of all the new Indian Point sirens on Tuesday, August 14, at 10:30 a.m.
During this test, all the sirens will sound at full volume for four minutes.
No response on the part of the public is necessary.
Residents should be aware that these new sirens do NOT sound like the current sirens. Westchester County officials will use the current siren system to alert the public during an emergency at Indian Point until the new siren system is completed and tested.
In an actual emergency, all the current sirens would sound at full volume for four minutes. Sirens are not a signal to evacuate, but rather to alert the public to tune to their local Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio or TV station for important information.
For county news, go to www.westchestergov.com
During this test, all the sirens will sound at full volume for four minutes.
No response on the part of the public is necessary.
Residents should be aware that these new sirens do NOT sound like the current sirens. Westchester County officials will use the current siren system to alert the public during an emergency at Indian Point until the new siren system is completed and tested.
In an actual emergency, all the current sirens would sound at full volume for four minutes. Sirens are not a signal to evacuate, but rather to alert the public to tune to their local Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio or TV station for important information.
For county news, go to www.westchestergov.com
Indian Point gets almost all its sirens working
Indian Point gets almost all its sirens working
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 12, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point's latest test of its new emergency alert system yesterday found only six out of 155 sirens failing to work properly.
That's a 96 percent success rate, and the nuclear plants' officials said it is important because the exercise relied exclusively on radio-activated triggers that haven't worked in previous tests.
"This is a big step for us, because the radio-activation method has been a very difficult problem," said Jim Steets, spokesman for Indian Point owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast.
"We had a breakthrough a couple of weeks ago - it was essentially a software issue, but this is the first full-volume test we've run to check it."
Across the portions of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties within the plants' 10-mile emergency planning zone, the four-minute siren soundings went off about 10 a.m., as expected.
One siren failed in Rockland, one in Orange and four in Westchester, though Steets said spotters whom Entergy stationed at 140 of the 155 siren locations said only one of the failing sirens actually was silent.
Adam Stiebeling, Putnam's deputy commissioner of emergency services, said the fact that all of his county's sirens worked properly showed promise for the company's making its Aug. 24 deadline to have the system fully operational.
"We're on the road," Stiebeling said.
Dan Greeley, Stiebeling's counterpart in Rockland, confirmed the siren results, calling the test "a step in the right direction."
Another full-volume test is scheduled for Tuesday about 11 a.m.
Indian Point has less than two weeks to make sure that its $15 million siren system is working. The system is designed to improve on the decades-old air raid-type sirens, which will remain in place until the new system is fully operational.
Entergy has already missed two deadlines - Jan. 30 and April 15 - and had to pay $130,000 for the second transgression. It has yet to be decided what sanctions the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might impose should a third deadline come and go without success.
The company has been going back and forth with federal regulators about whether individual siren volumes were loud enough to cover each area as designed. That may end up as the primary stumbling block for Entergy to overcome.
NRC officials monitored yesterday's test, and one of them in the field agreed that the volume of the siren he heard was "quite loud."
The company also took background noise readings before and after the test, said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.
Steets said nuclear plant officials were working to supply the Federal Emergency Management Agency with volume data that were acceptable to the agency. FEMA must sign off on the project before the NRC will accept it.
Steets said company officials remain confident the system will be working properly by Aug. 24.
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.
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Anyone have any facts? How many people in the US died last year from working with or using nuclear energy? How many people in the US died last year from working with or using fossil fuels? Should we include the coal miners that are down in the mine right now?
Posted by: concernedvoter on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:49 pm
Here's Some Advice For All You Nit-Wits Who Have Nothing Better To Do Then Whine About Indian Point....MOVE! The Majority Of You People Bitching About The Plant Knew It Was There Before You Bought Your House In The First Place.So Why Complain Now? Pull Up Stakes And Move To Some Town Or City With A Nasty Fossil Fired Plant And Die Of Lung Cancer.
Posted by: Tuna on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:26 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THE NRC SHOULD RE-LICENSE THE INDIAN POINT POWER PLANT? NO...............61% YES..............39% A GOOD POLL IS WORTH REPEATING.
J WAYNE LEONARD C E O ENTERGY HEADQUATERS
639 LOYOLA AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113
PHONE : 504-576-4000
FAX : 504-576-4428
NUKE PLANTS= MUTANTS
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:15 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THAT THE TONE OF THE NEW SIRENS IS AS MESMERIZING AS HENDRIX's "STAR SPANGLED BANNER" SOLO AT WOODSTOCK ? DEFINITELY..........169% I'M NOT SURE......-6% J. Wayne Leonard - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Curt L. H‚bert - Jr. Executive Vice President, External Affairs; former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair and Hill & Knowlton vice-president William E. Madison - Sr. Vice President, Human Resources and Administration Mark T. Savoff - Executive Vice President, Operations Robert Sloan - Executive Vice President & General Counsel Richard Smith - Group President, Utility Operations Gary Taylor - Chief Executive Officer - Entergy Nuclear Renae Conley - President & CEO, Entergy Louisiana Joe Domino - President & CEO, Entergy Texas Hugh McDonald - President & CEO, Entergy Arkansas Rod West - President & CEO, Entergy New Orleans Carolyn Shanks - President & CEO, Entergy Mississippi Michael Kansler - President, Entergy Nuclear Northeast John R. McGaha - President, Entergy Nuclear South Michael D. Bakewell - Senior Vice President, Fossil Operations DID YOU REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR THORAZINE BEFORE THE RALLY ? OH..... THERE IS NO RALLY...?? OH.... YOURE SITTING HOME ALONE, POSTING NONSENSE AGAIN? MAYBE THE THORAZINE'S NOT WORKING!Posted by: VP_VP on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:02 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THE SOUND OF THE NEW INDIAN POINT EMERGENCY SIREN SYSTEM IS MORE EFFECTIVE ? NO............61% YES...............39%
J WAYNE LEONARD CEO ENTERGY HEADQUATERS
639 LOYOLA AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113
PHONE: 504-576-4000
FAX: 504-576-4428
DID YOU REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR POTTASIUM IODIDE PILL TODAY ?
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:21 pm
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 12, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point's latest test of its new emergency alert system yesterday found only six out of 155 sirens failing to work properly.
That's a 96 percent success rate, and the nuclear plants' officials said it is important because the exercise relied exclusively on radio-activated triggers that haven't worked in previous tests.
"This is a big step for us, because the radio-activation method has been a very difficult problem," said Jim Steets, spokesman for Indian Point owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast.
"We had a breakthrough a couple of weeks ago - it was essentially a software issue, but this is the first full-volume test we've run to check it."
Across the portions of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties within the plants' 10-mile emergency planning zone, the four-minute siren soundings went off about 10 a.m., as expected.
One siren failed in Rockland, one in Orange and four in Westchester, though Steets said spotters whom Entergy stationed at 140 of the 155 siren locations said only one of the failing sirens actually was silent.
Adam Stiebeling, Putnam's deputy commissioner of emergency services, said the fact that all of his county's sirens worked properly showed promise for the company's making its Aug. 24 deadline to have the system fully operational.
"We're on the road," Stiebeling said.
Dan Greeley, Stiebeling's counterpart in Rockland, confirmed the siren results, calling the test "a step in the right direction."
Another full-volume test is scheduled for Tuesday about 11 a.m.
Indian Point has less than two weeks to make sure that its $15 million siren system is working. The system is designed to improve on the decades-old air raid-type sirens, which will remain in place until the new system is fully operational.
Entergy has already missed two deadlines - Jan. 30 and April 15 - and had to pay $130,000 for the second transgression. It has yet to be decided what sanctions the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might impose should a third deadline come and go without success.
The company has been going back and forth with federal regulators about whether individual siren volumes were loud enough to cover each area as designed. That may end up as the primary stumbling block for Entergy to overcome.
NRC officials monitored yesterday's test, and one of them in the field agreed that the volume of the siren he heard was "quite loud."
The company also took background noise readings before and after the test, said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.
Steets said nuclear plant officials were working to supply the Federal Emergency Management Agency with volume data that were acceptable to the agency. FEMA must sign off on the project before the NRC will accept it.
Steets said company officials remain confident the system will be working properly by Aug. 24.
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.
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PRINTER-FRIENDLY FORMAT
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Anyone have any facts? How many people in the US died last year from working with or using nuclear energy? How many people in the US died last year from working with or using fossil fuels? Should we include the coal miners that are down in the mine right now?
Posted by: concernedvoter on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:49 pm
Here's Some Advice For All You Nit-Wits Who Have Nothing Better To Do Then Whine About Indian Point....MOVE! The Majority Of You People Bitching About The Plant Knew It Was There Before You Bought Your House In The First Place.So Why Complain Now? Pull Up Stakes And Move To Some Town Or City With A Nasty Fossil Fired Plant And Die Of Lung Cancer.
Posted by: Tuna on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:26 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THE NRC SHOULD RE-LICENSE THE INDIAN POINT POWER PLANT? NO...............61% YES..............39% A GOOD POLL IS WORTH REPEATING.
J WAYNE LEONARD C E O ENTERGY HEADQUATERS
639 LOYOLA AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113
PHONE : 504-576-4000
FAX : 504-576-4428
NUKE PLANTS= MUTANTS
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:15 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THAT THE TONE OF THE NEW SIRENS IS AS MESMERIZING AS HENDRIX's "STAR SPANGLED BANNER" SOLO AT WOODSTOCK ? DEFINITELY..........169% I'M NOT SURE......-6% J. Wayne Leonard - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Leo Denault - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Curt L. H‚bert - Jr. Executive Vice President, External Affairs; former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair and Hill & Knowlton vice-president William E. Madison - Sr. Vice President, Human Resources and Administration Mark T. Savoff - Executive Vice President, Operations Robert Sloan - Executive Vice President & General Counsel Richard Smith - Group President, Utility Operations Gary Taylor - Chief Executive Officer - Entergy Nuclear Renae Conley - President & CEO, Entergy Louisiana Joe Domino - President & CEO, Entergy Texas Hugh McDonald - President & CEO, Entergy Arkansas Rod West - President & CEO, Entergy New Orleans Carolyn Shanks - President & CEO, Entergy Mississippi Michael Kansler - President, Entergy Nuclear Northeast John R. McGaha - President, Entergy Nuclear South Michael D. Bakewell - Senior Vice President, Fossil Operations DID YOU REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR THORAZINE BEFORE THE RALLY ? OH..... THERE IS NO RALLY...?? OH.... YOURE SITTING HOME ALONE, POSTING NONSENSE AGAIN? MAYBE THE THORAZINE'S NOT WORKING!Posted by: VP_VP on Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:02 pm
POLL RESULT DO YOU THINK THE SOUND OF THE NEW INDIAN POINT EMERGENCY SIREN SYSTEM IS MORE EFFECTIVE ? NO............61% YES...............39%
J WAYNE LEONARD CEO ENTERGY HEADQUATERS
639 LOYOLA AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113
PHONE: 504-576-4000
FAX: 504-576-4428
DID YOU REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR POTTASIUM IODIDE PILL TODAY ?
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:21 pm
Indian Point siren test shows 96 percent success rate
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 11, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point's latest test of its new emergency alert system this morning found only six out of 155 sirens failing to work properly, a 96 percent success rate that the nuclear plant's officials said is important because it came using radio-trigger methods that hadn't worked in previous tests.
"This is a big step for us because the radio activation method has been a very difficult problem," said Jim Steets, spokesman for Indian Point owners Entergy Nuclear. "We had a breakthrough a few weeks ago - it was essentially a software issue, but this is the first full-volume test we've run to check it."
Across the portions of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties within the 10-mile emergency planning zone around the nuclear plant, the four-minute sirens soundings went off about 10 a.m., as expected.
One siren failed in Rockland, one in Orange and four in Westchester, though Steets said spotters that Entergy stationed at 140 of the 155 siren locations said only one of the failing sirens stayed silent.
Adam Stiebeling, Putnam's deputy commissioner of emergency services said the fact that all of his county's sirens worked properly showed promise for the company making its Aug. 24 deadline to have the system fully operational.
"We're on the road," Stiebeling said.
His counterpart in Rockland, Dan Greeley, confirmed the siren results, calling the test "a step in the right direction"
Another full-volume test is scheduled for Tuesday, about 11 a.m.
Post a Comment View All Comments
POLL RESULT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY AT INDIAN POINT, DO YOU THINK THE WARNING SYSTEMS WILL ACTUALLY WORK? NO..................76% YES.................24% J WAYNE LEONARD C E O ENTERGY HEADQUATERS 639 LOYOLA AVE NEW ORLEANS , LA 70113 PHONE: 504-576-4000 FAX-504-576-4428 IF WESTCHESTER IS A BLACK TUXEDO, WHY IS INDIAN POINT A BROWN PAIR OF SHOES?
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:40 pm
I've written the next article for Greg Clary, so that he can go to the shore this weekend, and maybe have a life. (I know the TJN editorial board wants story continuity maintained here). 13 DAYS TO THE BIG NUCLEAR WITCHING HOUR Gannett, White Plains, 8/12/2007 Yes, only 12 pregnant days remain until the ultimate siren test determines whether Nita Lowey gets another $130,000 to spend on useless think-tank studies, Whether Entergy turns out to be Cinderella, and ride away in the big Pumpkin Coach with Rudy Giuliani (the white prince) to the big "License-Extension Ball", or turns out to be a siren-less dufus, sent back home in a donkey-cart. Odds are on Entergy squeaking through it all,... in fact the betting line in Vegas is 8-5 on Entergy, with the point spread giving them between 2 and 5 failed sirens overall, which would give them a passing grade with FEMA, but probably not with the concerned, outraged, and passionate anti community of 65 people who have dominated our politics hereabouts for 7 years, and intend to keep things that way! Jim Steets, interviewed in the Entergy locker room this A.M., said "Our boys are fired up, all our scrimmages went great, and we have that grudge match feeling against Spano helping us dig way down inside and get it all....... Bring It On!!!" Andy Spano, interviewed by cell phone at a backroom poker game said: " Hack....hack.... Damn cigar smoke...... What did ya say??? Can't hear ya. I'll see that bet, and raise you $130,000 that you f*ck up again, Arkansas-boy!" We were not able to determine if Mr. Spano's remarks were pertinent to his poker game, to the siren controversy, (or to both). Meanwhile, as the witching hour approached, citizens noticed teams of men in white coats with clipboards, going from siren to siren at night in black SUV's with tinted windows, perhaps chanting the good luck incantations intended to make the ghost in each siren appear on cue, on the BIG DAY! Remember TJN, and News Channel 12 will be on hand, with an 11 camera setup (the largest Ch 12 ever mounted) to capture each squeaky wail (or the embarrassing silence) on the BIG WITCHING DAY, AUGUST 24. Remember, if you call in now, we have 2 sets of tickets (and a Gannett designer tote bag) for each lucky couple who answers the magic question correctly. Those lucky winners will get to sit at the RNN/Gannett dais with Richard French, Roger Witherspoon, and Nita Lowey. SO CALL IN NOW, DON'T WAIT. OUR INTERACTIVITY EDITORS ARE WAITING AT OUR ONE GANNETT DRIVE PHONE BANKS FOR YOUR CALLS REMEMBER....FREE COMPLIMENTARY TOILETRIES PACKETS WILL GO OUT TO THE FIRST TEN LUCKY CALLERS!!!
Posted by: VP_VP on Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:12 am
Here are the two reasons that evacuations seem unrealistic. 1) They will never be required and 2) There have only ever been two nuclear accidents. The one in the USA hurt zero (0) people. During that accident, a local small town Mayor, Robert Reid of Middletown, ordered his town evacuated, against the wishes of Pa. Governor Thornburg & the NRC. Because of his foolish panic, a lot of people were frightened. To avoid this ever happening again, NRC mandated an overall emergency plan, and all towns would have to buy in to it. Thus you have sirens. The sirens, and the plan itself, exist not so much because anyone thinks they will ever be needed, but rather to prevent foolish grandstanding by small-fry politicoes jumping out of place, leading the band, and causing a riot. Forces of obfuscation have suppressed this truth, trying to make everyone think an evac plan is expected to be real, and expected to function perfectly. It is not. It exists specifically to keep the power to evacuate in the hands of only the highest officials. It will never be needed. Since it will never be needed, and therefore never be used, it is neurotic worry-mongering of the highest order to actually dig down, and expose all its faults. It only exists to make Spano obey Spitzer, and not the other way around. After all, if small-fries, acting panicky, can lead America to run into the ocean like Lemmings, Income Tax collections might be way off, the next year!Posted by: VP_VP on Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:11 pm
HERE IS ANOTHER FACTUAL POLL RESULT ...... 61% FEEL THAT EVACUATION IS NOT WORKABLE ! J WAYNE LEONARD C.E.O. ENTERGY HEADQUATERS 639 LOYOLA AVE. NEW ORLEANS, La 70113 PHONE : 504-576-4000 FAX : 504-576-4428 PLUTONIUM IS FOREVER!..........1776 : THE DIRECTORS CUT
Posted by: ball on Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:36 am
I've written the next article for Greg Clary, so that he can go to the shore this weekend, and maybe have a life. (I know the TJN editorial board wants story continuity maintained here). 13 DAYS TO THE BIG NUCLEAR WITCHING HOUR Gannett, White Plains, 8/12/2007 Yes, only 12 pregnant days remain until the ultimate siren test determines whether Nita Lowey gets another $130,000 to spend on useless think-tank studies, Whether Entergy turns out to be Cinderella, and ride away in the big Pumpkin Coach with Rudy Giuliani (the white prince) to the big "License-Extension Ball", or turns out to be a siren-less dufus, sent back home in a donkey-cart. Odds are on Entergy squeaking through it all,... in fact the betting line in Vegas is 8-5 on Entergy, with the point spread giving them between 2 and 5 failed sirens overall, which would give them a passing grade with FEMA, but probably not with the concerned, outraged, and passionate anti community of 65 people who have dominated our politics hereabouts for 7 years, and intend to keep things that way! Jim Steets, interviewed in the Entergy locker room this A.M., said "Our boys are fired up, all our scrimmages went great, and we have that grudge match feeling against Spano helping us dig way down inside and get it all....... Bring It On!!!" Andy Spano, interviewed by cell phone at a backroom poker game said: " Hack....hack.... Damn cigar smoke...... What did ya say??? Can't hear ya. I'll see that bet, and raise you $130,000 that you f*ck up again, Arkansas-boy!" We were not able to determine if Mr. Spano's remarks were pertinent to his poker game, to the siren controversy, (or to both). Meanwhile, as the witching hour approached, citizens noticed teams of men in white coats with clipboards, going from siren to siren at night in black SUV's with tinted windows, perhaps chanting the good luck incantations intended to make the ghost in each siren appear on cue, on the BIG DAY! Remember TJN, and News Channel 12 will be on hand, with an 11 camera setup (the largest Ch 12 ever mounted) to capture each squeaky wail (or the embarrassing silence) on the BIG WITCHING DAY, AUGUST 24. Remember, if you call in now, we have 2 sets of tickets (and a Gannett designer tote bag) for each lucky couple who answers the magic question correctly. Those lucky winners will get to sit at the RNN/Gannett dais with Richard French, Roger Witherspoon, and Nita Lowey. SO CALL IN NOW, DON'T WAIT. OUR INTERACTIVITY EDITORS ARE WAITING AT OUR ONE GANNETT DRIVE PHONE BANKS FOR YOUR CALLS!!!
Posted by: VP_VP on Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:24 am
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 11, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point's latest test of its new emergency alert system this morning found only six out of 155 sirens failing to work properly, a 96 percent success rate that the nuclear plant's officials said is important because it came using radio-trigger methods that hadn't worked in previous tests.
"This is a big step for us because the radio activation method has been a very difficult problem," said Jim Steets, spokesman for Indian Point owners Entergy Nuclear. "We had a breakthrough a few weeks ago - it was essentially a software issue, but this is the first full-volume test we've run to check it."
Across the portions of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties within the 10-mile emergency planning zone around the nuclear plant, the four-minute sirens soundings went off about 10 a.m., as expected.
One siren failed in Rockland, one in Orange and four in Westchester, though Steets said spotters that Entergy stationed at 140 of the 155 siren locations said only one of the failing sirens stayed silent.
Adam Stiebeling, Putnam's deputy commissioner of emergency services said the fact that all of his county's sirens worked properly showed promise for the company making its Aug. 24 deadline to have the system fully operational.
"We're on the road," Stiebeling said.
His counterpart in Rockland, Dan Greeley, confirmed the siren results, calling the test "a step in the right direction"
Another full-volume test is scheduled for Tuesday, about 11 a.m.
Post a Comment View All Comments
POLL RESULT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY AT INDIAN POINT, DO YOU THINK THE WARNING SYSTEMS WILL ACTUALLY WORK? NO..................76% YES.................24% J WAYNE LEONARD C E O ENTERGY HEADQUATERS 639 LOYOLA AVE NEW ORLEANS , LA 70113 PHONE: 504-576-4000 FAX-504-576-4428 IF WESTCHESTER IS A BLACK TUXEDO, WHY IS INDIAN POINT A BROWN PAIR OF SHOES?
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:40 pm
I've written the next article for Greg Clary, so that he can go to the shore this weekend, and maybe have a life. (I know the TJN editorial board wants story continuity maintained here). 13 DAYS TO THE BIG NUCLEAR WITCHING HOUR Gannett, White Plains, 8/12/2007 Yes, only 12 pregnant days remain until the ultimate siren test determines whether Nita Lowey gets another $130,000 to spend on useless think-tank studies, Whether Entergy turns out to be Cinderella, and ride away in the big Pumpkin Coach with Rudy Giuliani (the white prince) to the big "License-Extension Ball", or turns out to be a siren-less dufus, sent back home in a donkey-cart. Odds are on Entergy squeaking through it all,... in fact the betting line in Vegas is 8-5 on Entergy, with the point spread giving them between 2 and 5 failed sirens overall, which would give them a passing grade with FEMA, but probably not with the concerned, outraged, and passionate anti community of 65 people who have dominated our politics hereabouts for 7 years, and intend to keep things that way! Jim Steets, interviewed in the Entergy locker room this A.M., said "Our boys are fired up, all our scrimmages went great, and we have that grudge match feeling against Spano helping us dig way down inside and get it all....... Bring It On!!!" Andy Spano, interviewed by cell phone at a backroom poker game said: " Hack....hack.... Damn cigar smoke...... What did ya say??? Can't hear ya. I'll see that bet, and raise you $130,000 that you f*ck up again, Arkansas-boy!" We were not able to determine if Mr. Spano's remarks were pertinent to his poker game, to the siren controversy, (or to both). Meanwhile, as the witching hour approached, citizens noticed teams of men in white coats with clipboards, going from siren to siren at night in black SUV's with tinted windows, perhaps chanting the good luck incantations intended to make the ghost in each siren appear on cue, on the BIG DAY! Remember TJN, and News Channel 12 will be on hand, with an 11 camera setup (the largest Ch 12 ever mounted) to capture each squeaky wail (or the embarrassing silence) on the BIG WITCHING DAY, AUGUST 24. Remember, if you call in now, we have 2 sets of tickets (and a Gannett designer tote bag) for each lucky couple who answers the magic question correctly. Those lucky winners will get to sit at the RNN/Gannett dais with Richard French, Roger Witherspoon, and Nita Lowey. SO CALL IN NOW, DON'T WAIT. OUR INTERACTIVITY EDITORS ARE WAITING AT OUR ONE GANNETT DRIVE PHONE BANKS FOR YOUR CALLS REMEMBER....FREE COMPLIMENTARY TOILETRIES PACKETS WILL GO OUT TO THE FIRST TEN LUCKY CALLERS!!!
Posted by: VP_VP on Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:12 am
Here are the two reasons that evacuations seem unrealistic. 1) They will never be required and 2) There have only ever been two nuclear accidents. The one in the USA hurt zero (0) people. During that accident, a local small town Mayor, Robert Reid of Middletown, ordered his town evacuated, against the wishes of Pa. Governor Thornburg & the NRC. Because of his foolish panic, a lot of people were frightened. To avoid this ever happening again, NRC mandated an overall emergency plan, and all towns would have to buy in to it. Thus you have sirens. The sirens, and the plan itself, exist not so much because anyone thinks they will ever be needed, but rather to prevent foolish grandstanding by small-fry politicoes jumping out of place, leading the band, and causing a riot. Forces of obfuscation have suppressed this truth, trying to make everyone think an evac plan is expected to be real, and expected to function perfectly. It is not. It exists specifically to keep the power to evacuate in the hands of only the highest officials. It will never be needed. Since it will never be needed, and therefore never be used, it is neurotic worry-mongering of the highest order to actually dig down, and expose all its faults. It only exists to make Spano obey Spitzer, and not the other way around. After all, if small-fries, acting panicky, can lead America to run into the ocean like Lemmings, Income Tax collections might be way off, the next year!Posted by: VP_VP on Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:11 pm
HERE IS ANOTHER FACTUAL POLL RESULT ...... 61% FEEL THAT EVACUATION IS NOT WORKABLE ! J WAYNE LEONARD C.E.O. ENTERGY HEADQUATERS 639 LOYOLA AVE. NEW ORLEANS, La 70113 PHONE : 504-576-4000 FAX : 504-576-4428 PLUTONIUM IS FOREVER!..........1776 : THE DIRECTORS CUT
Posted by: ball on Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:36 am
I've written the next article for Greg Clary, so that he can go to the shore this weekend, and maybe have a life. (I know the TJN editorial board wants story continuity maintained here). 13 DAYS TO THE BIG NUCLEAR WITCHING HOUR Gannett, White Plains, 8/12/2007 Yes, only 12 pregnant days remain until the ultimate siren test determines whether Nita Lowey gets another $130,000 to spend on useless think-tank studies, Whether Entergy turns out to be Cinderella, and ride away in the big Pumpkin Coach with Rudy Giuliani (the white prince) to the big "License-Extension Ball", or turns out to be a siren-less dufus, sent back home in a donkey-cart. Odds are on Entergy squeaking through it all,... in fact the betting line in Vegas is 8-5 on Entergy, with the point spread giving them between 2 and 5 failed sirens overall, which would give them a passing grade with FEMA, but probably not with the concerned, outraged, and passionate anti community of 65 people who have dominated our politics hereabouts for 7 years, and intend to keep things that way! Jim Steets, interviewed in the Entergy locker room this A.M., said "Our boys are fired up, all our scrimmages went great, and we have that grudge match feeling against Spano helping us dig way down inside and get it all....... Bring It On!!!" Andy Spano, interviewed by cell phone at a backroom poker game said: " Hack....hack.... Damn cigar smoke...... What did ya say??? Can't hear ya. I'll see that bet, and raise you $130,000 that you f*ck up again, Arkansas-boy!" We were not able to determine if Mr. Spano's remarks were pertinent to his poker game, to the siren controversy, (or to both). Meanwhile, as the witching hour approached, citizens noticed teams of men in white coats with clipboards, going from siren to siren at night in black SUV's with tinted windows, perhaps chanting the good luck incantations intended to make the ghost in each siren appear on cue, on the BIG DAY! Remember TJN, and News Channel 12 will be on hand, with an 11 camera setup (the largest Ch 12 ever mounted) to capture each squeaky wail (or the embarrassing silence) on the BIG WITCHING DAY, AUGUST 24. Remember, if you call in now, we have 2 sets of tickets (and a Gannett designer tote bag) for each lucky couple who answers the magic question correctly. Those lucky winners will get to sit at the RNN/Gannett dais with Richard French, Roger Witherspoon, and Nita Lowey. SO CALL IN NOW, DON'T WAIT. OUR INTERACTIVITY EDITORS ARE WAITING AT OUR ONE GANNETT DRIVE PHONE BANKS FOR YOUR CALLS!!!
Posted by: VP_VP on Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:24 am
Sleepy Hollow hospital needs 200 'victims' for disaster drill
Sleepy Hollow hospital needs 200 'victims' for disaster drill
By GERALD MCKINSTRYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 10, 2007)
SLEEPY HOLLOW - With the threat of terrorism always present, emergency responders know they need to be ready. And for that they need to practice on victims, or in this instance, volunteers.
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is having a disaster drill Aug. 25 at its emergency center, which includes a decontamination unit. The hospital needs 100-200 volunteers to play the role of attack victims, Jeff Meade, director of the center for emergency education at the hospital, said recently.
"We're looking at new and potentially lethal threats," Meade said of the importance of such drills. "It's really to determine how many people are affected and how many we can decontaminate."
Phelps' decontamination unit, the first stop for anyone exposed in a chemical, biological or radiological incident, essentially cleanses people of toxins so they can enter the hospital for treatment. The unit is a way for responders to keep potentially hazardous materials and toxins out of the emergency room during a disaster.
"People may be contaminated and need to be treated," said Meade, also a member of Westchester County's Hazardous Materials Response Team. "This is the new standard. This is what the world expects today."
Meade said the emergency center held a similar drill three years ago and hospital officials believed it was important to conduct another one because of ongoing concerns about terrorism.
Its proximity to the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan is also a reason responders must be ready.
The exact emergency scenario has not yet been created, Meade said, although it will replicate the aftermath of an attack or industrial explosion.
Sleepy Hollow's fire department and ambulance services will be there to help the medical staff.
The volunteers, Meade said, will get a free lunch and might even learn a few things. But mostly, he said, the drill is to help emergency responders.
By GERALD MCKINSTRYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 10, 2007)
SLEEPY HOLLOW - With the threat of terrorism always present, emergency responders know they need to be ready. And for that they need to practice on victims, or in this instance, volunteers.
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is having a disaster drill Aug. 25 at its emergency center, which includes a decontamination unit. The hospital needs 100-200 volunteers to play the role of attack victims, Jeff Meade, director of the center for emergency education at the hospital, said recently.
"We're looking at new and potentially lethal threats," Meade said of the importance of such drills. "It's really to determine how many people are affected and how many we can decontaminate."
Phelps' decontamination unit, the first stop for anyone exposed in a chemical, biological or radiological incident, essentially cleanses people of toxins so they can enter the hospital for treatment. The unit is a way for responders to keep potentially hazardous materials and toxins out of the emergency room during a disaster.
"People may be contaminated and need to be treated," said Meade, also a member of Westchester County's Hazardous Materials Response Team. "This is the new standard. This is what the world expects today."
Meade said the emergency center held a similar drill three years ago and hospital officials believed it was important to conduct another one because of ongoing concerns about terrorism.
Its proximity to the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan is also a reason responders must be ready.
The exact emergency scenario has not yet been created, Meade said, although it will replicate the aftermath of an attack or industrial explosion.
Sleepy Hollow's fire department and ambulance services will be there to help the medical staff.
The volunteers, Meade said, will get a free lunch and might even learn a few things. But mostly, he said, the drill is to help emergency responders.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Two weeks left for Indian Point to meet new siren deadline
Two weeks left for Indian Point to meet new siren deadline
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 9, 2007)
BUCHANAN - Two weeks from tomorrow is the deadline for Indian Point to have its new emergency warning system working, and plant officials remain hopeful they can deliver on time despite regulatory questions that remain unanswered.
Federal officials expect the notification system to be loud enough to be heard in each of the 150 areas covered by individual sirens and are requiring Entergy Nuclear, Indian Point's owner and operator, to ensure that.
The sirens are spread across the parts of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties that fall within a 10-mile radius of the nuclear power plant.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's top regional official on the project said yesterday that the agency must be able to verify that minimum sound levels are reached or it won't approve the project by the Aug. 24 deadline.
"They have not proven to us that the siren system can meet our basic regulations and guidance for siren sound coverage throughout the emergency planning zone," Rebecca Thomson, branch chief for FEMA's radiological emergency planning group, said yesterday.
"They haven't provided us with any data to prove that," Thomson said. "What they provided is outdated and no good anymore because it was projected based on how the sirens were supposed to sound."
FEMA is acting on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees Indian Point's operation, including emergency planning.
Entergy officials said they were working to deliver the data FEMA needs in time to make the deadline and have moved ahead with local emergency staff training and other requirements as quickly as possible.
Training started this week, company officials said, and is expected to be finished by Aug. 21.
Entergy is up against its third deadline since agreeing to install a $15 million alert system in the fall of 2005.
The company asked for and received a 75-day extension from the NRC after regulators agreed that the project needed more time than the Jan. 30, 2007, deadline allowed.
The agency wasn't as forgiving after the company missed an April 15 deadline, fining Entergy $130,000 and requiring a plan to finish the project within a reasonable amount of time - Aug. 24 became the new target.
"I think we can resolve the issues that need to be resolved by then," Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said.
"We're certainly driving toward that."
At least one county official involved in the project is skeptical that the latest deadline will be met.
"I suspect that they will not resolve it by the 24th," said Anthony Sutton, Westchester County's commissioner of emergency services. "We didn't want to be in this place as we go toward the deadline."
One of the main questions is whether the sirens must meet a minimum of 70 decibels in louder areas and 60 decibels in quieter areas - or whether all sirens must be at least 10 decibels louder than background noise in each area.
Residents in the emergency planning zone have complained during months of siren testing that they can't hear the new sirens as well as they can hear the existing sirens.
Thomson said yesterday that field tests showed that some of the sound coverage falls as much as 44 percent short of what was designed.
NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency was aware of the remaining obstacles and was in daily contact with the nuclear plant about the sirens. He said NRC officials would continue to monitor the project's progress.
Thomson was complimentary of the new system, saying it would be one of the best of its kind in the country once it's installed properly. The current system will remain in operation until the new system is approved.
"The system is complex," Thomson said. "It's going to have a lot of bugs. We just can't say 'turn it on and make it the primary system' until we're convinced that the sound coverage is adequate."
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.
Post a Comment View All Comments
Progress Energy Wins Ruling Associated With Shearon Harris Relicensing. Administrative Law Judges affiliated with the Atomic Safety & Licensing Board have rejected an effort by the North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network of Durham, N.C., and Nuclear Information & Resource Service, a Maryland organization, to include safety concerns in the consideration of a 20-year license extension for Progress Energy's Shearon Harris nuclear plant, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. The groups were expected to appeal the ruling. In the ruling, the judges declared that they could not consider the concerns in reviewing Progress Energy's relicensing application. Plant critics asserted that vulnerability to an airplane attack, fire safety failures, and a flawed emergency evacuation plan all needed to be considered as part of the review. This looks good for Indian Point. This precedent will invariably influence attempts by the enviro-nazis to intervene in the IPEC license extension effort. Have a great day! nuclear environmentalist
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:54 pm
Just a quick reminder, if you disagree with the previous anti-Hispanic, racist rant posted here by a member of PEON ( PRO ENTERGY and OPENLY NUCLEAR )
J WAYNE LEONARD C.E.O.
ENTERGY HEADQUATERS NEW ORLEANS La 70113
PHONE: 504-576-4000 fax: 504-576-4428
Posted by: ball on Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:45 pm
Mohammed El Baradei, nobel laureate, and acknowleged nuclear authority (head of IAEA) has written that in the matter of nuclear safety, we have to concentrate on doing what makes a difference, and not squander resources on things that only help marginally (or not at all). Now let us leave the world of knowlegeable nuclear expertise, and enter the universe of Hudson Valley politics, a world where it is of the utmost importance to replace a 100% functional siren system , with one that has batteries. It is estimated that a meltdown at Indian Point is a near certainty, once in every 20,000 years. For that great event, the old sirens will be entirely sufficient, except in the case of a national or regional blackout happening simultaneously with the meltdown. A regional blackout has happened in 1965, 1977, and 2003, for 3 in 42 years, or 7% chance of happening. Therefore adding the batteries ups our safety by a factor of 14, making it a near certainty that a (blackout + meltdown) will happen no more than once in the next 280,000 years. Whew! I feel so much better now! Thanks, Senator Hillary!
Posted by: VP_VP on Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:30 pm
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 9, 2007)
BUCHANAN - Two weeks from tomorrow is the deadline for Indian Point to have its new emergency warning system working, and plant officials remain hopeful they can deliver on time despite regulatory questions that remain unanswered.
Federal officials expect the notification system to be loud enough to be heard in each of the 150 areas covered by individual sirens and are requiring Entergy Nuclear, Indian Point's owner and operator, to ensure that.
The sirens are spread across the parts of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties that fall within a 10-mile radius of the nuclear power plant.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's top regional official on the project said yesterday that the agency must be able to verify that minimum sound levels are reached or it won't approve the project by the Aug. 24 deadline.
"They have not proven to us that the siren system can meet our basic regulations and guidance for siren sound coverage throughout the emergency planning zone," Rebecca Thomson, branch chief for FEMA's radiological emergency planning group, said yesterday.
"They haven't provided us with any data to prove that," Thomson said. "What they provided is outdated and no good anymore because it was projected based on how the sirens were supposed to sound."
FEMA is acting on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees Indian Point's operation, including emergency planning.
Entergy officials said they were working to deliver the data FEMA needs in time to make the deadline and have moved ahead with local emergency staff training and other requirements as quickly as possible.
Training started this week, company officials said, and is expected to be finished by Aug. 21.
Entergy is up against its third deadline since agreeing to install a $15 million alert system in the fall of 2005.
The company asked for and received a 75-day extension from the NRC after regulators agreed that the project needed more time than the Jan. 30, 2007, deadline allowed.
The agency wasn't as forgiving after the company missed an April 15 deadline, fining Entergy $130,000 and requiring a plan to finish the project within a reasonable amount of time - Aug. 24 became the new target.
"I think we can resolve the issues that need to be resolved by then," Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said.
"We're certainly driving toward that."
At least one county official involved in the project is skeptical that the latest deadline will be met.
"I suspect that they will not resolve it by the 24th," said Anthony Sutton, Westchester County's commissioner of emergency services. "We didn't want to be in this place as we go toward the deadline."
One of the main questions is whether the sirens must meet a minimum of 70 decibels in louder areas and 60 decibels in quieter areas - or whether all sirens must be at least 10 decibels louder than background noise in each area.
Residents in the emergency planning zone have complained during months of siren testing that they can't hear the new sirens as well as they can hear the existing sirens.
Thomson said yesterday that field tests showed that some of the sound coverage falls as much as 44 percent short of what was designed.
NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency was aware of the remaining obstacles and was in daily contact with the nuclear plant about the sirens. He said NRC officials would continue to monitor the project's progress.
Thomson was complimentary of the new system, saying it would be one of the best of its kind in the country once it's installed properly. The current system will remain in operation until the new system is approved.
"The system is complex," Thomson said. "It's going to have a lot of bugs. We just can't say 'turn it on and make it the primary system' until we're convinced that the sound coverage is adequate."
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.
Post a Comment View All Comments
Progress Energy Wins Ruling Associated With Shearon Harris Relicensing. Administrative Law Judges affiliated with the Atomic Safety & Licensing Board have rejected an effort by the North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network of Durham, N.C., and Nuclear Information & Resource Service, a Maryland organization, to include safety concerns in the consideration of a 20-year license extension for Progress Energy's Shearon Harris nuclear plant, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. The groups were expected to appeal the ruling. In the ruling, the judges declared that they could not consider the concerns in reviewing Progress Energy's relicensing application. Plant critics asserted that vulnerability to an airplane attack, fire safety failures, and a flawed emergency evacuation plan all needed to be considered as part of the review. This looks good for Indian Point. This precedent will invariably influence attempts by the enviro-nazis to intervene in the IPEC license extension effort. Have a great day! nuclear environmentalist
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:54 pm
Just a quick reminder, if you disagree with the previous anti-Hispanic, racist rant posted here by a member of PEON ( PRO ENTERGY and OPENLY NUCLEAR )
J WAYNE LEONARD C.E.O.
ENTERGY HEADQUATERS NEW ORLEANS La 70113
PHONE: 504-576-4000 fax: 504-576-4428
Posted by: ball on Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:45 pm
Mohammed El Baradei, nobel laureate, and acknowleged nuclear authority (head of IAEA) has written that in the matter of nuclear safety, we have to concentrate on doing what makes a difference, and not squander resources on things that only help marginally (or not at all). Now let us leave the world of knowlegeable nuclear expertise, and enter the universe of Hudson Valley politics, a world where it is of the utmost importance to replace a 100% functional siren system , with one that has batteries. It is estimated that a meltdown at Indian Point is a near certainty, once in every 20,000 years. For that great event, the old sirens will be entirely sufficient, except in the case of a national or regional blackout happening simultaneously with the meltdown. A regional blackout has happened in 1965, 1977, and 2003, for 3 in 42 years, or 7% chance of happening. Therefore adding the batteries ups our safety by a factor of 14, making it a near certainty that a (blackout + meltdown) will happen no more than once in the next 280,000 years. Whew! I feel so much better now! Thanks, Senator Hillary!
Posted by: VP_VP on Thu Aug 09, 2007 12:30 pm
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
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
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
Indian Point debate
Indian Point debate
(Original publication: August 6, 2007)
Criticism hurts plant's employees
I was shocked to read Rep. Nita Lowey's comments about Indian Point in the July 24 article, "Nuclear regulators want updated inventory of uranium 235 at Indian Point." Rep. Lowey falsely describes Indian Point as having "loosey-goosey security measures." I have worked at numerous nuclear facilities on the East Coast and I can tell you that Indian Point's security is second to none.
As someone who has worked at the Indian Point power plants for many years, as well as being the person responsible for sending men and women into a safe work environment, it is always distressing when local gadfly types promote misinformation about nuclear power and Indian Point.
Even more irresponsible was Rep. Lowey's comment that "the incompetence at Indian Point imperils an entire region." In one swift stroke Rep. Lowey managed to insult and malign the more than 1,200 workers who labor every day to make sure her lights are on.
Since Rep. Lowey is adamant about closing Indian Point, perhaps she could share with us what she intends to do about replacing the 2000 megawatts of energy that Indian Point produces for the region. Will she allow approximately 800 windmills to be built in her back yard? Will she supply everyone with candles?
Rep. Lowey is wrong and her extreme comments, inserted into an otherwise informative story, are insulting to the legions of individuals who have worked at Indian Point over the years.
Bob Seeger
Hopewell Junction
The writer is business manager of Millwwright & Machinery Erectors, Local 740.
Indian Point review is needed
In response to Jerry Kremer's July 30 letter, "Extra Indian Point review unnecessary," it is worth noting that Indian Point is among the most scrutinized plants in the country because it has had more problems than others, including multiple and continuing unplanned releases of radioactivity, being the only plant in the U.S. that is known to be leaking strontium 90, cesium and other radioactive elements into the environment. The plant has had more unplanned outages than others, which resulted in a lowered safety rating. This plant also has an evacuation plan that was thoroughly studied by a former director of FEMA and declared to be inadequate and largely unfixable. And their efforts to install a workable siren system are like a long running soap opera. Indian Point is also built on top of a seismic fault.
And Mr. Kremer's assessment of the relicensing review is a horrible joke since it includes only non-moving parts of the plant, such as the extensive and leaking pipe system, which is largely inaccessible to inspection because it is buried or imbedded in concrete. The only way the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can check the integrity of the pipes is by digging wells and saying "not leaking yet." It is also worth noting that the existing leaks were found by accident during construction work and not because of the NRC's presence at the plant.
Mr. Kremer should state that his organization has been founded and highly funded by Entergy. Paid spokesmen should be more forthright.
Gary Shaw
Croton-on-Hudson
Please note NYAREA is funded by Entergy
Thank you for your continuing coverage of the Indian Point. It is important to present various views. However, it is also important not to allow Entergy to mislead the public into believing that a group established by Entergy to promote Indian Point, the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (NYAREA), is some sort of independent grassroots organization. The July 30 letter by NYAREA chairman Jerry Kremer, "Extra Indian Point review unnecessary," describes NYAREA as "a nonprofit organization advocating for reliable, affordable and clean energy solutions."
I would hope that The Journal News is, by now, aware that NYAREA is a prime example of an industry front group. The Center for Media and Democracy did an expose of nuclear industry front groups which focused specifically on Entergy and NYAREA. Note, in particular, that in Massachusetts there is a pro-nuke group called MassAREA which - by amazing coincidence - also has Entergy as a member and funder!
Given the millions of dollars Entergy has expended in its ongoing PR campaign, I think it is critically important that articles mentioning NYAREA give recognition to - at the very least - the fact that Entergy has been a funding source. Entergy has admitted to having funded NYAREA, but has been very cutesy about the degree of such funding; nevertheless, The Journal News can simply note the financial connection.
Michel Lee
White Plains
The writer is a member of the Steering Committee on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition and chairman for the Council on Intelligent Energy & Conservation Policy.
Letters to the editor
Post a Comment View All Comments
Gary Shaw, Michel Lee, Kali Fasteau, and Stephen Filler ARE IPSEC. (Bill Smirnow lives in L.I.) That's it. Half a dozen neo-communist plotters, who sit there and write, and email, and post, and organize, for ten over years. 6 people. But lately, they do have some success. UFO cultist Remy Chevalier has now joined them! WHOOOPIE!
Posted by: pepe on Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:47 am
Here are some sites that everybody can check out on Google. 1 Living on Earth: 3 MILE ISLAND TWENTY YEARS LATER. 2 Living on Earth: A NUCLEAR INCIDENT WORSE THAN 3 MILE ISLAND. 3 PENNSYLVANIA HIGHWAY: THREE MILE ISLAND 4 CHERNOBYL 5 TEN YEARS AFTER CHERNOBYL : PHOTO ARCHIVE 6 B.B.C. NEWS IN PICTURES : CHERNOBYLS LOST CITY How would you like to explain to your children why they look like THAT! Why they won't live very long. Why they'll never have children of their own. Some people sell their souls to live the good life. I guess they have the answers. They have paid a high price for them.
Posted by: ball on Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:29 am
HUNTINGTON, Utah - Six miners were trapped in a coal mine Monday by a cave-in so powerful that authorities initially thought it was small earthquake. The miners were believed to be 1,500 feet below ground, about four miles from the entrance to the mine, which is 140 miles south of Salt Lake City. University of Utah seismograph stations recorded a seismic waves of 3.9 magnitude early Monday, causing speculation that a minor earthquake had caused the cave-in. Scientists later realized the collapse at the Genwal mine had caused the disturbance. "There is no evidence that the earthquake triggered the mine collapse," said Walter Arabasz, director of the seismography stations. At least a half-dozen other mine collapses since 1995 have caused similar seismic waves, including one in southwestern Wyoming that caused readings as high as 5.4 on the Richter scale. Indian Point was designed to withstand an earthquake of greater than 4 magnitude richter scale. Number of deaths attributable to nuclear power operations in the United States since the first plant became operational in 1960: ZERO. Number of deaths due to coal mining this week? Or how about this Year? Or how about since 1960? Now which technology is dangerous and which is safe?
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:31 pm
Cheers to Nita Lowey. Did she mention CANCER? A plant that has trouble installing a siren system shouldn't worry about robots or Mars rovers. Sure NYAREA is funded by Entergy. Just go to their website. NYAREA is co- chaired by Christine Todd Whitman . Remember her from post 911 clean up fame? Need any more reasons to doubt Entergies competence? Now let's hear some more about those HUD grants.
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:20 pm
And we are not to believe that IPSEC is nothing more than 200 x-hippies who are a front group for riverkeeper? Open a can of worms lately? If I told you the sky is green would you believe it without proof? BTW who pays for you to "STEER"? I don't think Gary Shaw has ever heard of robots. How can we send 2 rovers to Mars and not be able to inspect pipes.
Posted by: big bad bill on Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:00 am
(Original publication: August 6, 2007)
Criticism hurts plant's employees
I was shocked to read Rep. Nita Lowey's comments about Indian Point in the July 24 article, "Nuclear regulators want updated inventory of uranium 235 at Indian Point." Rep. Lowey falsely describes Indian Point as having "loosey-goosey security measures." I have worked at numerous nuclear facilities on the East Coast and I can tell you that Indian Point's security is second to none.
As someone who has worked at the Indian Point power plants for many years, as well as being the person responsible for sending men and women into a safe work environment, it is always distressing when local gadfly types promote misinformation about nuclear power and Indian Point.
Even more irresponsible was Rep. Lowey's comment that "the incompetence at Indian Point imperils an entire region." In one swift stroke Rep. Lowey managed to insult and malign the more than 1,200 workers who labor every day to make sure her lights are on.
Since Rep. Lowey is adamant about closing Indian Point, perhaps she could share with us what she intends to do about replacing the 2000 megawatts of energy that Indian Point produces for the region. Will she allow approximately 800 windmills to be built in her back yard? Will she supply everyone with candles?
Rep. Lowey is wrong and her extreme comments, inserted into an otherwise informative story, are insulting to the legions of individuals who have worked at Indian Point over the years.
Bob Seeger
Hopewell Junction
The writer is business manager of Millwwright & Machinery Erectors, Local 740.
Indian Point review is needed
In response to Jerry Kremer's July 30 letter, "Extra Indian Point review unnecessary," it is worth noting that Indian Point is among the most scrutinized plants in the country because it has had more problems than others, including multiple and continuing unplanned releases of radioactivity, being the only plant in the U.S. that is known to be leaking strontium 90, cesium and other radioactive elements into the environment. The plant has had more unplanned outages than others, which resulted in a lowered safety rating. This plant also has an evacuation plan that was thoroughly studied by a former director of FEMA and declared to be inadequate and largely unfixable. And their efforts to install a workable siren system are like a long running soap opera. Indian Point is also built on top of a seismic fault.
And Mr. Kremer's assessment of the relicensing review is a horrible joke since it includes only non-moving parts of the plant, such as the extensive and leaking pipe system, which is largely inaccessible to inspection because it is buried or imbedded in concrete. The only way the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can check the integrity of the pipes is by digging wells and saying "not leaking yet." It is also worth noting that the existing leaks were found by accident during construction work and not because of the NRC's presence at the plant.
Mr. Kremer should state that his organization has been founded and highly funded by Entergy. Paid spokesmen should be more forthright.
Gary Shaw
Croton-on-Hudson
Please note NYAREA is funded by Entergy
Thank you for your continuing coverage of the Indian Point. It is important to present various views. However, it is also important not to allow Entergy to mislead the public into believing that a group established by Entergy to promote Indian Point, the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (NYAREA), is some sort of independent grassroots organization. The July 30 letter by NYAREA chairman Jerry Kremer, "Extra Indian Point review unnecessary," describes NYAREA as "a nonprofit organization advocating for reliable, affordable and clean energy solutions."
I would hope that The Journal News is, by now, aware that NYAREA is a prime example of an industry front group. The Center for Media and Democracy did an expose of nuclear industry front groups which focused specifically on Entergy and NYAREA. Note, in particular, that in Massachusetts there is a pro-nuke group called MassAREA which - by amazing coincidence - also has Entergy as a member and funder!
Given the millions of dollars Entergy has expended in its ongoing PR campaign, I think it is critically important that articles mentioning NYAREA give recognition to - at the very least - the fact that Entergy has been a funding source. Entergy has admitted to having funded NYAREA, but has been very cutesy about the degree of such funding; nevertheless, The Journal News can simply note the financial connection.
Michel Lee
White Plains
The writer is a member of the Steering Committee on Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition and chairman for the Council on Intelligent Energy & Conservation Policy.
Letters to the editor
Post a Comment View All Comments
Gary Shaw, Michel Lee, Kali Fasteau, and Stephen Filler ARE IPSEC. (Bill Smirnow lives in L.I.) That's it. Half a dozen neo-communist plotters, who sit there and write, and email, and post, and organize, for ten over years. 6 people. But lately, they do have some success. UFO cultist Remy Chevalier has now joined them! WHOOOPIE!
Posted by: pepe on Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:47 am
Here are some sites that everybody can check out on Google. 1 Living on Earth: 3 MILE ISLAND TWENTY YEARS LATER. 2 Living on Earth: A NUCLEAR INCIDENT WORSE THAN 3 MILE ISLAND. 3 PENNSYLVANIA HIGHWAY: THREE MILE ISLAND 4 CHERNOBYL 5 TEN YEARS AFTER CHERNOBYL : PHOTO ARCHIVE 6 B.B.C. NEWS IN PICTURES : CHERNOBYLS LOST CITY How would you like to explain to your children why they look like THAT! Why they won't live very long. Why they'll never have children of their own. Some people sell their souls to live the good life. I guess they have the answers. They have paid a high price for them.
Posted by: ball on Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:29 am
HUNTINGTON, Utah - Six miners were trapped in a coal mine Monday by a cave-in so powerful that authorities initially thought it was small earthquake. The miners were believed to be 1,500 feet below ground, about four miles from the entrance to the mine, which is 140 miles south of Salt Lake City. University of Utah seismograph stations recorded a seismic waves of 3.9 magnitude early Monday, causing speculation that a minor earthquake had caused the cave-in. Scientists later realized the collapse at the Genwal mine had caused the disturbance. "There is no evidence that the earthquake triggered the mine collapse," said Walter Arabasz, director of the seismography stations. At least a half-dozen other mine collapses since 1995 have caused similar seismic waves, including one in southwestern Wyoming that caused readings as high as 5.4 on the Richter scale. Indian Point was designed to withstand an earthquake of greater than 4 magnitude richter scale. Number of deaths attributable to nuclear power operations in the United States since the first plant became operational in 1960: ZERO. Number of deaths due to coal mining this week? Or how about this Year? Or how about since 1960? Now which technology is dangerous and which is safe?
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:31 pm
Cheers to Nita Lowey. Did she mention CANCER? A plant that has trouble installing a siren system shouldn't worry about robots or Mars rovers. Sure NYAREA is funded by Entergy. Just go to their website. NYAREA is co- chaired by Christine Todd Whitman . Remember her from post 911 clean up fame? Need any more reasons to doubt Entergies competence? Now let's hear some more about those HUD grants.
Posted by: ball on Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:20 pm
And we are not to believe that IPSEC is nothing more than 200 x-hippies who are a front group for riverkeeper? Open a can of worms lately? If I told you the sky is green would you believe it without proof? BTW who pays for you to "STEER"? I don't think Gary Shaw has ever heard of robots. How can we send 2 rovers to Mars and not be able to inspect pipes.
Posted by: big bad bill on Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:00 am
Thursday, August 2, 2007
FAA puts planes too close to Indian Point
FAA puts planes too close to Indian Point
Rockland County, 300 daily planes, and Indian Point is a bad mix for us, a wonderful mix for terrorists! I am a nurse. I have worked in Rockland schools. Our schools must keep a supply of potassium iodide pills on standby, to be given to our children, in the event of a nuclear catastrophe from the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan. I live within the 10-mile radius of the plant and many of our schools also are located within this radius.
In the age we live in, of terrorism on high alert, after 9/11, it is unforgivable that the FAA, a government agency, a government that is supposed to protect us, to even consider adding 300 planes a day to fly over Rockland County. This number increases the likelihood of terrorist access to one of those planes and easily diverting it a short distance into Indian Point. This would be catastrophic for Rockland, Newark, New York City and the whole tri-state area. The areas in which the FAA is trying to help would have a nuclear disaster on their hands.
Rockland is within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point. This reason overrides all other considerations.
We demand accountability for those in the FAA who supposedly investigated Homeland Security issues. Something is very wrong and dangerous here.
Suzan Cohen
New Hempstead
Post a Comment View All Comments
agreed on what you are saying, nuke, i just don't see the point of it. who is to say that a plane with a willing psycho at the controls couldn't just ignore the "no fly" space and crash into the plant before jets could even get colse to scrambling?
Posted by: willoughby on Thu Aug 02, 2007 3:59 pm
I have to respond to Suzan Cohen's fear mongering about Indian Point and airplanes. Aircraft impact issues were addressed in the licensing process for all 103 U.S. nuclear power reactors; however the evaluations were based on the premise that such a crash would be accidental. Following 911, the nuclear industry performed further studies and analysis of the risk of terrrost attack against a nuclear facility involving intentional crashing of a commercial jetliner into the facility. Computer analyses of models representative of all U.S. nuclear power plant containment types have been completed. The wing span of the Boeing 767-400 (170 feet)—the aircraft used in the analyses—is slightly longer than the diameter of a typical containment building (140 feet). The aircraft engines are physically separated by approximately 50 feet. This makes it impossible for both an engine and the fuselage to strike the centerline of the containment building. As a result, two analyses were performed. One analysis evaluated the “local” impact of an engine on the structure. The second analysis evaluated the “global” impact from the entire mass of the aircraft on the structure. In both cases, the analysis conservatively assumed that the engine and the fuselage strike perpendicular to the centerline of the structure. This results in the maximum force upon impact to the structure for each case. The analyses indicated that no parts of the engine, the fuselage or the wings—nor the jet fuel—entered the containment buildings. The robust containment structure was not breached, although there was some crushing and spalling (chipping of material at the impact point) of the concrete. The wing span of the Boeing 767-400 (170 feet) is substantially greater than the longest dimension of a typical used fuel pool wall (60 feet). The aircraft engines are physically separated by approximately 50 feet. This makes it impossible for both an engine and the fuselage to strike the mid-point of the pools. As a result, two analyses were performed for both a pressurized water reactor pool and a boiling water reactor pool. One analysis evaluated the “local” impact of an engine on the mid-point of the pool wall. The second analysis evaluated the “global” impact of the fuselage and the portion of the wings that could realistically hit the mid-point of the representative fuel pool wall. In both cases, the analysis conservatively assumed that the engine and the fuselage strike perpendicular to the mid-point of the pool wall. This results in the maximum impact force being applied directly to the structure for each case. The wall’s mid-point would deflect (bend inward) more from this force than for an impact closer to the end of the wall. The stainless steel pool liner ensures that, although the evaluations of the representative used fuel pools determined that there was localized crushing and cracking of the concrete wall, there was no loss of pool cooling water. Because the used fuel pools were not breached, the used fuel is protected and there would be no release of radionuclides to the environment. To summarize, Ms. Cohen's fear of Indian Point is misguided. Osama bin Laden chose the Pentagon, the White House and the Twin Towers as his targets on 911 because they are much easier targets than a solid concrete nuclear containment building. The fact that Indian Point was not chosen shows that the terrorists are more realistic than the anit-nuclear zealots who would succumb to the terrorists threats and close our region's safest, cleanest source of non-polluting electric power.
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:54 am
Rockland County, 300 daily planes, and Indian Point is a bad mix for us, a wonderful mix for terrorists! I am a nurse. I have worked in Rockland schools. Our schools must keep a supply of potassium iodide pills on standby, to be given to our children, in the event of a nuclear catastrophe from the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan. I live within the 10-mile radius of the plant and many of our schools also are located within this radius.
In the age we live in, of terrorism on high alert, after 9/11, it is unforgivable that the FAA, a government agency, a government that is supposed to protect us, to even consider adding 300 planes a day to fly over Rockland County. This number increases the likelihood of terrorist access to one of those planes and easily diverting it a short distance into Indian Point. This would be catastrophic for Rockland, Newark, New York City and the whole tri-state area. The areas in which the FAA is trying to help would have a nuclear disaster on their hands.
Rockland is within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point. This reason overrides all other considerations.
We demand accountability for those in the FAA who supposedly investigated Homeland Security issues. Something is very wrong and dangerous here.
Suzan Cohen
New Hempstead
Post a Comment View All Comments
agreed on what you are saying, nuke, i just don't see the point of it. who is to say that a plane with a willing psycho at the controls couldn't just ignore the "no fly" space and crash into the plant before jets could even get colse to scrambling?
Posted by: willoughby on Thu Aug 02, 2007 3:59 pm
I have to respond to Suzan Cohen's fear mongering about Indian Point and airplanes. Aircraft impact issues were addressed in the licensing process for all 103 U.S. nuclear power reactors; however the evaluations were based on the premise that such a crash would be accidental. Following 911, the nuclear industry performed further studies and analysis of the risk of terrrost attack against a nuclear facility involving intentional crashing of a commercial jetliner into the facility. Computer analyses of models representative of all U.S. nuclear power plant containment types have been completed. The wing span of the Boeing 767-400 (170 feet)—the aircraft used in the analyses—is slightly longer than the diameter of a typical containment building (140 feet). The aircraft engines are physically separated by approximately 50 feet. This makes it impossible for both an engine and the fuselage to strike the centerline of the containment building. As a result, two analyses were performed. One analysis evaluated the “local” impact of an engine on the structure. The second analysis evaluated the “global” impact from the entire mass of the aircraft on the structure. In both cases, the analysis conservatively assumed that the engine and the fuselage strike perpendicular to the centerline of the structure. This results in the maximum force upon impact to the structure for each case. The analyses indicated that no parts of the engine, the fuselage or the wings—nor the jet fuel—entered the containment buildings. The robust containment structure was not breached, although there was some crushing and spalling (chipping of material at the impact point) of the concrete. The wing span of the Boeing 767-400 (170 feet) is substantially greater than the longest dimension of a typical used fuel pool wall (60 feet). The aircraft engines are physically separated by approximately 50 feet. This makes it impossible for both an engine and the fuselage to strike the mid-point of the pools. As a result, two analyses were performed for both a pressurized water reactor pool and a boiling water reactor pool. One analysis evaluated the “local” impact of an engine on the mid-point of the pool wall. The second analysis evaluated the “global” impact of the fuselage and the portion of the wings that could realistically hit the mid-point of the representative fuel pool wall. In both cases, the analysis conservatively assumed that the engine and the fuselage strike perpendicular to the mid-point of the pool wall. This results in the maximum impact force being applied directly to the structure for each case. The wall’s mid-point would deflect (bend inward) more from this force than for an impact closer to the end of the wall. The stainless steel pool liner ensures that, although the evaluations of the representative used fuel pools determined that there was localized crushing and cracking of the concrete wall, there was no loss of pool cooling water. Because the used fuel pools were not breached, the used fuel is protected and there would be no release of radionuclides to the environment. To summarize, Ms. Cohen's fear of Indian Point is misguided. Osama bin Laden chose the Pentagon, the White House and the Twin Towers as his targets on 911 because they are much easier targets than a solid concrete nuclear containment building. The fact that Indian Point was not chosen shows that the terrorists are more realistic than the anit-nuclear zealots who would succumb to the terrorists threats and close our region's safest, cleanest source of non-polluting electric power.
Posted by: nuclear environmentalist on Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:54 am
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Landmark Energy Policy Study Points the Way to U.S. Energy Future without Fossil Fuels or Nuclear Power
Featured articles:
US Energy Future without Fossil Fuels or Nuclear Power, Landmark Study Released Today - July 30, 2007 Landmark Energy Policy Study Points the Way to U.S. Energy Future without Fossil Fuels or Nuclear PowerProtecting Climate Will Require Essentially Complete Elimination of U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 2050Takoma Park, MD - At the G-8 summit in Germany in June 2007, President Bush promised to "consider seriously" the European Union goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to limit global temperature rise to about 4 degrees Fahrenheit. A new study concludes that the United States could eliminate almost all of its carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2050. It also concludes that it is possible to do so without the use of nuclear power. The landmark study, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, was produced as a joint project of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
New Book, War In Heaven, by Drs. Helen Caldicott & Craig Eisendrath - March 08, 2007 A revelatory look at the U.S. Government's plan to put weapons in outer space, by two bestselling experts. College Park, MD - In War in Heaven, a Nobel Prize-nominated peace activist and a former U.S. foreign service officer (who helped write the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) look at the history of military uses of space and the current plans for "weaponizing the heavens," including kinetic, laser, nuclear bombardment, and anti-satellite weapons.
Latest Updates:
Nuclear greenwashing Amanda Witherell San Francisco Bay Guardian - June 04, 2007 Global warming has suddenly put nukes back on the agenda — but there's a lot the industry isn't telling you
Patrick Moore's presentation isn't as slick as Al Gore's. The slides he shows lack a certain visual panache and don't compare to the ones in An Inconvenient Truth. Moore himself seems a little frumpy, particularly as he peers out across the audience recently gathered in the Warnors Theatre in Fresno.
But attendees paid $20 to hear the former Greenpeace leader extol the benefits of nuclear energy as a clean, safe, reliable, economic, and — perhaps most important to the current political and media focus on global warming — emissions-free source of power.
A battle won has to be fought again Tracee Hutchison The Age (Australia) - April 04, 2007 Now, 24 years since we sang and danced our nuclear fears away at the bowl, the nuclear genie is out of the bottle again and tomorrow's Nuclear Fools Day concert at the bowl feels like groundhog day, writes Tracee Hutchison.
The Nobel Peace Prize nominee on nukes, global warming, and why we’re closer to Armageddon than ever Kevin Uhrich Los Angeles City Beat - March 25, 2007 Dr. Helen Caldicott has been advocating her own inconvenient truth for over a quarter-century, but her battle against nuclear power and nuclear weapons is still as controversial – and as necessary – as it has ever been. While Oscar-winning presumptive president Al Gore was still a congressman from Tennessee, and voting on what was then the largest military buildup in history, Caldicott was warning of the risks posed by both the nuclear arms race being orchestrated by the Reagan administration and the continued use of commercial nuclear power in communities around the United States.
US Energy Future without Fossil Fuels or Nuclear Power, Landmark Study Released Today - July 30, 2007 Landmark Energy Policy Study Points the Way to U.S. Energy Future without Fossil Fuels or Nuclear PowerProtecting Climate Will Require Essentially Complete Elimination of U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 2050Takoma Park, MD - At the G-8 summit in Germany in June 2007, President Bush promised to "consider seriously" the European Union goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to limit global temperature rise to about 4 degrees Fahrenheit. A new study concludes that the United States could eliminate almost all of its carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2050. It also concludes that it is possible to do so without the use of nuclear power. The landmark study, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, was produced as a joint project of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
New Book, War In Heaven, by Drs. Helen Caldicott & Craig Eisendrath - March 08, 2007 A revelatory look at the U.S. Government's plan to put weapons in outer space, by two bestselling experts. College Park, MD - In War in Heaven, a Nobel Prize-nominated peace activist and a former U.S. foreign service officer (who helped write the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) look at the history of military uses of space and the current plans for "weaponizing the heavens," including kinetic, laser, nuclear bombardment, and anti-satellite weapons.
Latest Updates:
Nuclear greenwashing Amanda Witherell San Francisco Bay Guardian - June 04, 2007 Global warming has suddenly put nukes back on the agenda — but there's a lot the industry isn't telling you
Patrick Moore's presentation isn't as slick as Al Gore's. The slides he shows lack a certain visual panache and don't compare to the ones in An Inconvenient Truth. Moore himself seems a little frumpy, particularly as he peers out across the audience recently gathered in the Warnors Theatre in Fresno.
But attendees paid $20 to hear the former Greenpeace leader extol the benefits of nuclear energy as a clean, safe, reliable, economic, and — perhaps most important to the current political and media focus on global warming — emissions-free source of power.
A battle won has to be fought again Tracee Hutchison The Age (Australia) - April 04, 2007 Now, 24 years since we sang and danced our nuclear fears away at the bowl, the nuclear genie is out of the bottle again and tomorrow's Nuclear Fools Day concert at the bowl feels like groundhog day, writes Tracee Hutchison.
The Nobel Peace Prize nominee on nukes, global warming, and why we’re closer to Armageddon than ever Kevin Uhrich Los Angeles City Beat - March 25, 2007 Dr. Helen Caldicott has been advocating her own inconvenient truth for over a quarter-century, but her battle against nuclear power and nuclear weapons is still as controversial – and as necessary – as it has ever been. While Oscar-winning presumptive president Al Gore was still a congressman from Tennessee, and voting on what was then the largest military buildup in history, Caldicott was warning of the risks posed by both the nuclear arms race being orchestrated by the Reagan administration and the continued use of commercial nuclear power in communities around the United States.
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