Given all we know now, would a new plant be approved at the Indian Point site today?

Before new power plants receive approval for their initial operating license, many factors are taken into consideration, including population density around the plant and the assurance that evacuation plans can be effectively implemented in the case of a radiological emergency. Yet, the NRC’s review for relicensing does not examine factors such as these which are critical to the public’s safety.

On May 10, 2005, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano petitioned the NRC (Petition 2.802) to amend the rules for license renewal of all nuclear power plants. The petition would mandate the NRC to only relicense plants that meet all the requirements they would have to meet if they were applying for their initial operating license. It would also require that the relicensing evaluate factors such as demographics, emergency evacuation, and site security. The petition contends that because of Indian Point’s “proximity to major population centers, because of periodic leaks of radioactive material, because of difficult (if not impossible) evacuation issues, and because of its proximity to the World Trade Center”, the NRC’s license renewal review should be both broader in scope and site-specific. Criteria should take into consideration conditions that have changed since the building of the plant, as well as worst case scenarios. Spano’s petition was denied by the NRC in December 2007. The County plans to appeal the Commission’s decision.