Indian Point is back in the news, after a precautionary shutdown for repairs and a public hearing in Albany on proposals to close the nuclear power plants in Buchanan.
Indian Point is back in the news, after a precautionary shutdown for repairs and a public hearing in Albany on proposals to close the nuclear power plants in Buchanan.
62 Comments
Despite all the noise & bluster from vested interest antinuke organizations, the local public favors retaining Indian Point’s infrastructure contribution by large margins, as demonstrated in the Marist, Manhattanville, & Bisconti polls ( all in the public domain).
How long must the 99% in the Hudson Valley be misled by the 1% whose jobs consist of spreading misinformation to gain contributions from the unwary, or to satisfy wealthy celebrity donors’ egotistical vanity delusions?
It makes good media froth, but it is an unproductive dead end.
New York needs its infrastructure repaired, not torn down.
Good to see Lohud readers coming to their senses.
Indian Point is based on 1950s technology. A 1950s car would hardly be considered safe by today’s standards—why should we and our families feel safe living near a 1950s mega-sized nuclear reactor that is incredibly more complex? Take out the financial aspects for all parties concerned and it’s a no-brainer. Pull the plug on this relic of technology. Whomever allowed this to be built within the nation’s densest population zone had a disregard for us all. It was financial interests that generated this problem in the first place.
These plants are unsafe and many lies are at stakes. Jobs, while important, do not “trump” lives, and other means of providing power should be expanded.
These plants are unsafe and many lives are at stake. Jobs, while important, do not “trump” lives,\and other means of providing power should be explored and expanded.
This poll is bogus. It will not allow you to vote yes, but it will allow you to vote no. Typical journal news one sided journalism. Make it fair or don’t bother.
Leave Indian Point alone.. Yes renew their license.. Has anyone considered where we would get the power it supplies now and how about the Taxes it pays??? And jobs???
I believe it’s all a political move to look good to the big shots that it wouldn’t affect…
After Fukushima, national policy in the US should be aimed at shutting down all nuclear devices. People in the NY area live in constant danger from a malfunctioning device at their doorstep. Shut down Indian Point!
We need a project like New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) to bring more than double the power Indian Point produces down from upstate NY & Quebec, where it is now surplus.
Ask your insurance company if you are covered for losses in case of an Indian Point accident…
There is a government ‘insurance’ that will give you a small portion a penny, for hundreds of dollars of your loss. If your house is worth 600,000; you may get a few hundred for everything. You will have to move to a far away place, because metro New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey will be DEAD. DEAD.
If you can’t even buy insurance against a nuclear accident, how can you believe IP is either safe or a good risk?
I think Indian Point should be decommissioned as soon as possible for the following reasons:
These reactors are located near two fault lines, just north of NYC, putting over twenty million people at risk who live within the surrounding 50 miles radius of the plant, in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
These nuclear reactors also pose an unreasonable and unprecedented risk to our homeland security in the event of any future terrorist attacks.
Moreover, in the event of any nuclear accident at this site from whatever cause, millions of people are essentially uninsured against any loss, damage or expense resulting therefrom due to both the insurance industry’s exclusion under all homeowner policies of nuclear accidents or events from standard coverage and also due to the federal limited liability policy of the nuclear industry under the Price Anderson Act. Any accident at this site would bankrupt the federal government.
Because of these unique and special circumstances, the Indian Point reactors must be closed, and the spent fuel rod pools must be secured, as soon as possible.
If Indian Point were safe, they wouldn’t need the government to provide insurance company exemptions. So free market supporters should unite against Indian Point.
The people who voted No are not well informed and have been duped by the hysterical pablum spooned out by the local media, Riverkeeper and Governor Cuomo. Indian Point is one of the safest if not the safest nuclear plant near a major population center. It is robustly built,its operators are superbly trained and many are from the nuclear navy. They use to train other operators from other nuclear plants. Indian point was also built with many more layers of safety redundancy than many other nuclear plants. Three Mile Island could not happen at Indian point. The meltdown that occurred at the japanese reactors could not occurr at Indian Point. Responsible forward thinking and superb engineering created this robust design. Indian Point is considerered an exemplary performance standard that other plants compare themselves against. Closing it would be an economic and environmental disaster for the NYC metro area. The clean, reliable nuclear power would have to be replaced with costly, greenhouse gas laden fossil power. We are decades away from reliably and practically substituting nuclear and fossil fueled power with renewables and clean energy. People, wake up,your being played by the politicians who don’ know anything except how to rustle up votes by creating hysteria. Learn and think about the facts first hand if you really care about our region’s future.
I support Indian Point
The plant should continue to run. The generation capacity is critical to the area and if it was allowed to shut down would cause widespread Reliability and load related issues to the immediate area.
Your questions reflect some pretty ignorant bias – the Indian point plants have a better safety record than any other power-generating methods in New York.
The problem is there are too many people – all demanding electricity.
I recall hearing (a while back) that Indian Point was built to last 30 years. I just googled it and found that it was built in 1962. So it’s approaching its 50-year anniversary, and is 20 years beyond its projected life span. Doesn’t the density of population surrounding the plant, (and in the city to the south) merit some attention and concern? And can’t every individual work on ways to reduce consumption? I really believe that if individuals all made a big effort to reduce consumption, we could close lots of plants. (Starting with our addiction to air-conditioning…)
On average 20% of all power comes from nuclear power. I’m a realist and I say continue using nuclear until another cleaner, safer, more reliable source comes along that can replace and surpass that 20%.
keep Indian Point open and renew its license. We cannot afford to be without power and we cannot afford to pay higher utility bills. It is hard to keep ones head above water surviving in this economy, with all the increases in taxes and bills to pay, shutting down Indian Point and increasing utility charges for the residents of NY state would place great hardship on the middle class working person.
I DO NOT work for Indian Point but I do work in the nuclear field. People should do their homework before spouting off about the dangers of nuclear power. The U.S. energy usage is at an all time high and still climbing. Every aspect of every day relies in electricity one way or another and shud down nuclear plants would certainly hurl us back to the stone ages. Look at the options: Wind power- will not produce nearly the ammount of electricity as one nuclear plant and is unreliable. Solar Power- Is in the same boat as wind power and the toxic chemicals involved in manufacture are another issue. Plus, where are we going to get the electricity needed to manufacture wind turbines and photovoltaic cells. Not to mention the ammount of prime real estate that they take up as compared to one nuclear plant to make the same ammount of electricity. Sure, lets chop down all of the trees to make room for them. Or we could be like China and commission one coal burning plant PER DAY to keep up with our growing energy needs. Of course, anyone who has done their due diligence would know that besides the soot and sulfur saturated smoke that a coal plant spews into the atmosphere, it emmits magnitudes more radioctive isotopes into the air on a daily basis than a nuclear plant ever would, but again I am assuming that all of the so called “TREE HUGGERS” have done their due diligence (how foolish of me). Like it or not, nuclear power is a necessary evil that we must have as a viable option if we wish to continue living life with the conveniences that we enjoy in every day life. Sure, add wind power and solar to suppliment our energy but in no way are they able to be a stand alone source of our nation’s energy needs. Do some research and you will find that nuclear is “GREENER” than you may think…....
The country cannot afford to forgo nuclear energy sources. The citizens need enrgy independence from foreign sources. The operating licence should be renewed.
The country cannot afford to forgo nuclear energy sources. The citizens need enrgy independence from foreign sources. The operating licence should be renewed
keep open
keep Indian Point open and alive. I support the renewal of the license…
To Chuck Park…...You will NEVER see another nuclear plant constructed in the LIBERAL North Eastern United States. Apparently we do not like reliable, safe power and thousands of jobs with a strong economy. All of the new construction and new nuclear plant approvals are in the Southern United States. They welcome the industry and jobs…... Looks like the North just won the battle but not the war….who are the “Redneck Hillbillies” now !!!!!!! Sure we can get our power from Canada and pay through the nose for it but how hypocritical would that be? The power would be coming mostly from Nuclear facilities…. I guess as long as the plants aren’t in our back yard huh…......
Yes, I would keep IP open
The plant in New York is safer then most any power utility anywhere.
Support the India point renewal
The fact that the nuclear power industry is the safest of all of the electrical power plants providing electricity – coal, oil, gas, dams, wind, solar, etc. seems to be lost among the American public. The Indian Point Plant is not similar to the plant in Japan. The NRC has done a good job in assurring that our American plants are safe. There are several back up power systems to protect the reactor core and the spent fuel being stored on site at Indian Point.
We need the power, we need to protect the environment, we need the jobs, and we need all of the above done safely. Nuclear power wins on all fronts.
Robert Gehrke
I live in Croton-on-Hudson and am well it is impossible to have an adequate evacuation plan if something went wrong at Indian Point. There is always the possibility of human error as has been amply demostrated to date. There are other ways to get our power. Please Close Indian Point NOW.
In 1960 when nuclear power was discussed, public hearings were held and polls were taken questioning the public’s concern about nuclear waste, its storage and half-life. I was then a young mother with two little boys. My concerns were deep and I was active in all aspects of questioning the power source for safety. At hearings, one could sense this was a done deal, we were given the forum to speak by the power company and the department of Nuclear Energy as the plant was built and fired up.
Today much more is known about the dangers of NP, given Chernoble and now the terrible accident in Japan. Indian Point sits on the Ramapo fault line, the source of enormous destructive energy release should there be an earthquake of 6-7 magnitude. Thought to be dormant in the ‘60s, we now know another stronger quake is entirely possible. What is the Nuclear Power Commission thinking when even considering a renewed license for Indian Point and Entergy? An
accident only needs to happen once. We are a foolhardy species!
Nuclear Power is an efficient safe and economical way to provide energy
We support nuclear power
I am not sure why you are not accepting my comment…It is my first comment
I do not have facebook
Are you accepting my vote?
yes, i would like see IP stay open and operating for the people of New York
It’s way overdue – CLOSE INDIAN POINT NOW before another disaster occurs and lives and future generations are destroyed.
NO – look at Japan. they will probably never recover. Do we need this 40 miles from NYC?
While I wholeheartedly support nuclear power because of its efficiency, significant capacity and safety to meet a significant portion of our electricity needs while controlling green house gasses, I do not support Indian Point because it is in too populated of an area. There is nothing that is absolutely safe, so there is always some risk. If something went seriously wrong at Indian Point, we would have to evacuate and abandon NYC, Long Island. There’s close to 6 million people living/working within 30-50 mile evaculation radius of Indian Point. Its not worth the risk.
Please pull the plug. The facility is aged to the point of remarkable danger. Of course disposing of the waste and radioactive parts also must be handled properly, not left to simmer on this site. I’m not sure what will make me feel we are finally past the hazard of a major nuclear accident, and I live in Putnam Valley, NY as well as Manhattan, and work on a farm near Tarrytown, so I am extremely motivated to protect ourselves from the consequences of either further and more serious accidents, as well as the hazard of terror.
Any mishap would be irrevocable. We need to open our eyes and abolish this plant. There is no effective safety route possible in this situation. It’s time to further new sources of energy anyway.
I feel very strongly that this plant has not proven itself to be safe and should be shut down.
The nuclear industry has sent out mass emails, providing a link to this survey and telling people to vote Yes. If these results are published, it must be emphasized that this is not a scientific poll, and that the results have been tainted because of the emails from the industry.
An old antiquated plant that is dangerous close to millions of people. And who exactly think it a good idea to keep open?
It’s not just a matter of closing this nuclear plant, but of building up other energy resources at the same time. We need to be able to feed into the grid using solar/wind power for instance. Here in England and Wales – where it rains often! – I can see solar panels on many, many roofs, and a solar construction industry has been created with thousands of jobs. Local councils have backed this financially and have benefited from the money flows it has created.
Increasing awareness of the need to repair their houses and create an envelope will also help. Over 50% of energy is lost through our poorly constructed houses, poor planning, and out-of-date building codes.
We do not need Indian Point.
shut down it Now.
No more Indian point.
We must not repeat FUKUSHIMA HERE AGAIN.
I just found this poll in my spam box. This morning, I received an e-mail from eliewestcam inviting me to take the survey. It came with a warning: It might be someone phising, and indeed it was.
I read and reread it in disbelief. It spoke of the poll and invited me to be sure to sign the petition (I did not) to keep Indian Point operating. It stated that now they have more votes than the people who oppose its operation. We must get the word out to beware. Because of hte address, I thought I could trust the message enclosed, and I could not.
This is a very serious issue for near future. Every body must wake up now
and stop this.
I am old enough to remember how safe the Maginot Line was supposed to be
Tens of millions of people live within 25 miles of this plant and Manhattan’s drinking
water reservoir is in the immediate vicinity. If this plant were to be located again today
there is No Way it would be located near here. they still do not know what to do with the
waste and alternative power technology has become efficient enough that we no longer
need to pay Russian Roulette with our kid’s future.
The plant is too old to keep functioning. The plant is too near new York City to keep functioning. An accident, a mal function, a natural calamity would be a real disaster to millions.
I’m from Japan. I know a lot of Japanese people are suffering from radiation because of the accident of Fukushima nuclear plant. Please don’t repeat that again.
Closing Indian Point is about a lot more than replacing electricity. It’s about the health and safety of 20 million people who live within 50 miles of the plant. This is more people than lived within the 50 mile zone around Fukushima. The area around that reactor is now an exclusion zone. Not something we need in the Hudson River Valley.
The hearing in NYC called by Assemblyman Brennan last week made it clear that there are are a number of ways to replace the electricity – starting with conservation and efficiency. The Synapse study goes into several different scenarios and it showed that Indian Point simply does not provide that much electricity to the New York City Westchester grid.
The risk of a catastrophic release of radiation from Indian Point is low but the impact would be horrendous. Why take the chance with so many lives and some of the most expensive real estate in the world when there are so many other options? There is just no way to be 100% safe from human error or malicious intent. And then there are the spent fuel rods setting there deadly for thousands of years as a legacy to the future.
We can do better. It is immoral to leave such a toxic, deadly mess for others to clean up.
Less than a year ago the still unfolding disaster in Fukushima highlighted the fact that the NRC is not prepared for multiple disasters at American reactors; that evacuation needs to be done for up to 50 miles; that the main danger is the high level radioactive waste in the spent fuel pools. There is more of that at Indian Point than was in all of the spent fuel pools at Fukushima.
Im in favor of INdian Point License renewal
Global Warming was a hoax and the risks of Nuclear Power are a hoax.
Environmentalists are not good people. Population and Energy are directly linked. If there is not enough energy the price will go up or the population/demand will go down.
The energy policy of environmentalists of depending on unrealistic energy source could end up killing millions.
After its to late is not the answer to this problem…shut it down before N.Y.S looks like fukishima….Lets not have a greedy corp. have their way with N.Y.S. residents when it comes to our safety and lives.
I always hear in the news about how bad it would be for people down wind of Indian point , well the wind blows two ways and i live north of Indian point we count too….
Until a truly viable way to “dispose” of nuclear waste is discovered/invented, it is a threat to the health and safety of people, in general. Even more to those unfortunates that may live, probably unknowingly, near such a disposal site, or those who work at it-
What then would happen to the creeping, insidious, process of promoting the impending two-class system?
yes, in spite of the “safety measures.” Renewable energy all the way. But, goodness forbid-that might even create JOBS!!! JOBSWhy are the lines in my last comment blocked out? There is absolutely nothing obscene or slanderous within them?
How will the loss of generation be replaced?
I can’t believe how many ignorant citizens we have in this country, not knowing that nuclear technology makes NO SENSE ! All nuclear power plants SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN immediately, starting with Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant located near NYC, which in itself is a “catastrophe waiting to happen”. There is nothing clean about any nuclear power plant, each is dangerous, dirty and very, very expensive ! Learn the truth about this technology and don’t listen to the nuclear industry that needs government’s (=our) subsidies to make $$.
Just to correct a minor error,
IP-1 was built in 1962 and shutdown in 1974. IP-2 went on line is ‘74 and IP-3 in ‘76. Both IP-1 and IP-2 have 40 years licenses that expire in 2013 and 2015. All plants are initially licensed for 40 years of operation, not 30, so they are not 20 years beyond their life.
I would suggest instead of Google, try Wiki-pedia far more factal information.
As pointed out so eloquently above, yes go find out about nuclear power and don’t listen to opinions and irrational rethoric with no basis in facts or reality. Truth, nuclear power is safe proven technology with an excellent track record in the US. No one has ever been killed or injured by a US commercial reactor. There is no nuclear watse land around Three Mile Island.
As for Japan and Chernobyl, all the safety systems functioned as designed and maintained the reactors in a safe condition until the tsunami. So unless a tsunami goes 40 miles up the Hudson, you really can’t compare Japan with IP. If one did run up the Hudson, IP would be the last of your concerns for those that survived. Chernobyl, that was a design totally different then IP and with no containment. It was operated outside it’s designed operating limits in an unsanctioned experiment by operators who didn’t understand the concequences.
What we learned from Chernobyl, 1. Don’t let the Russian design your reactor. 2. Don’t let the Russian operate your reactor and 3. Always have a containment. We have none of those at IP.