RIVERKEEPER CALLS ON NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TO ACT AGAINST ENTERGY FOR MISSING SIREN DEADLINE

(Tarrytown, NY, August 24, 2007) Today Riverkeeper called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to levy additional penalties against Entergy for its continuing failure to meet federal deadlines requiring the full operation of an emergency siren system with backup battery power at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County, New York. Because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NRC have refused to approve the sirens, Indian Point is in violation of its operating license. Entergy has now missed the third deadline imposed by the NRC since new sirens were required by the Energy Policy Act in 2005. Senator Hillary Clinton succeeded in having this requirement added to the energy bill in response to the NRC’s denial of a petition by Riverkeeper calling for a new siren system. After Entergy failed to meet the second deadline on April 15, 2007, the NRC imposed a fine equivalent to one day’s violation, and modified Entergy’s operating license to require compliance by August 24.
Statement by Riverkeeper Staff Attorney Phillip Musegaas:

“Today marks the third time Entergy has failed to deliver on its promise to have a new, federally approved siren system in place that will alert the public if an emergency arises at the plant. Clearly the NRC’s previous attempts at enforcement have had no effect. This time, the NRC must take action that penalizes Entergy and forces the company to compensate Westchester County for the significant expenses incurred by having Indian Point in its midst. The NRC should confer with County officials to ensure that any action it takes will be both a disincentive to further delays by Entergy and a means to increase support for the County’s emergency responders.”
“Riverkeeper will be satisfied when concerns over the volume and reliability of the new sirens have been resolved and both FEMA and NRC give their approval. These are critical issues that must be resolved before the public can be expected to have any confidence that the new sirens will do the job in an emergency.”

Riverkeeper is a member-supported, nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to safeguarding the Hudson River and the watershed areas that provide drinking water to New York City. For more information, please visit www.riverkeeper.org.