“It is Only a Matter of Time before a More Serious Problem Occurs”

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater weighs in on Tuesday’s Fire at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant

BEACON, NY – Tuesday’s electrical fire on a cable running between Indian Point’s two reactors “is another of several emergency events at the aging and dangerous nuclear plant, which 20 million people live or work within a 50 mile radius of,” said Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Action Director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Despite the increasing deterioration at Indian Point, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has repeatedly issued waivers and an exemption regarding electrical wiring and other safety standards. “Earlier this year Unit 2 had hundreds of faulty, degraded and missing bolts inside the reactor, The fact that the NRC has not even required Unit 3, which is identical to Unit 2, to be closed for inspection and repair, exemplifies the NRC’s lax oversight, which puts industry profits ahead of public health and safety,” continued Greene.

In addition to transformer fires, other electrical failures and repeated leaks of radioactive isotopes into the air and the groundwater under the plant, “it is only a matter of time before a more serious problem occurs,” added Greene. “The potential for a catastrophic fuel pool fire caused by overcrowding highly radioactive fuel rods into a space, which was only designed hold one quarter of the fuel currently stored there is especially concerning.”

Clearwater looks forward to the report by Governor Cuomo’s oversight group inspection to shed light on these ongoing problems and to recommend solutions to address these critical threats to the Hudson Valley and greater NY City metropolitan area. “Of course, given that the energy is not needed and the licenses for both units are expired, the best solution is to close and safely decommission Indian Point altogether,” she concluded.