ML13077A196
| ML13077A196 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 02/28/2013 |
| From: | Kremer A New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (NYAREA) |
| To: | Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman, NRC/SECY |
| References | |
| LTR-13-0204 | |
| Download: ML13077A196 (5) | |
Text
Thu, Apr 18, 2013 16:41 1
Page No:
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET LTR-13-0204 PAPER NUMBER:
03/11/2013 LOGGING DATE:
ACTION OFFICE:
EDO Kremer A AUTHOR:
City of New York, NY AFFILIATION:
ADDRESSEE:
Macfarlane A M
SUBJECT:
Provides followup to a February 12, 2013 meeting regarding Indian Point ACTION:
SECY to Ack.
Appropriate DISTRIBUTION:
ACKNOWLEDGED:
02/28/2013 Lead Office to Publicly Release 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> after Secy's assignment.
Yes LETTER DATE:
SPECIAL HANDLING:
NOTES:
ADAMS FILE LOCATION:
DUE DATE:
DATE SIGNED:
February 28, 2013 Arthur J. ("Jerry")
Kremer Advisory Board Chairman Richard T. Anderson New York Building Congress Heather Briccettl The Business Council of New York State Matthew Cordaro Formerly with the Midwest ISO Gavin J. Donohue Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc.
Dr. Marsha Gordon The Business Council of Westchester Denis Hughes New York State AFL-CIO Steven Ludwigson Boilermakers Local No.5 Norris McDonald African American Environmentalist Association Al Samuels Rockland Business Association Bob Seeger Millwrights Local 740 Kathryn Wylde Partnership for New York City Chris Thorpe, CFA INTL FCStone Inc.
James Slevin Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 The Honorable Allison M. Macfarlane Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001
Dear Chairman Macfarlane:
On behalf of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA) and its members, we sincerely thank you for providing our organization the opportunity to meet with you and members of your staff on February 12, 2013. New York AREA advisory board members who participated in the meeting, including representatives from the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, the Business Council of New York State, the Westchester County Association, and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, greatly appreciated the chance to speak with you directly regarding the economic importance arid safe operations of the Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County.
As noted in our meeting, New York AREA was formed in the wake of the 2003 blackout that affected the entire northeast United States, and represents some of the largest employers in the state, as well as labor organizations, community leaders, and energy companies. Since 2007, we have advocated for license renewal for Indian Point Units 2 and 3, highlighting the plant's exemplary safety record and significant benefits to air quality, electric affordability, and grid reliability.
The economic and environmental benefits that the region derives from Indian Point are impressive: it generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity, supports thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, mitigates the release of millions of tons of toxic emissions into the atmosphere, and supplies approximately 25 percent of the New York metropolitan area's electricity and 11 percent statewide.
As we move toward an even more electric-dependent future, New York will need additional generating capacity to meet future demand. It will be formidable, if not impossible, to reach these goals without Indian Point. In fact, the New York Independent System Operator, which runs the state's electric grid, has repeatedly warned that reliability would be seriously degraded without Indian Point.
While the economic and environmental arguments in favor of Indian Point are clear, during our meeting we agreed that the plant's continued safe operation transcends all considerations. For years, our organization has been outspoken in our support for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) stringent oversight of plant operations and its commitment to ensuring the highest level of safety at our nation's 104 nuclear power plants. Furthermore, the NRC's rigorous, multi-year inspection and review process for granting license renewal sets the global standard for excellence in safe and secure nuclear power plant operations.
We support the Commission's deployment of hundreds of independent safety inspectors who remain on site at each nuclear facility throughout the year, including Indian Point, and ensure that Entergy and all nuclear plant operators remain accountable to maintaining public safety.
Entergy's commitment to ensuring that the nuclear industry's foremost safety standards are maintained and exceeded by the more than 1,100 employees at Indian Point has helped to earn it the NRC's highest safety rating of green for eight straight years.
As you know, numerous independent safety evaluations of Indian Point's qualifications for license renewal have all concluded that the plant is safe and can continue to operate safely for another 20 years. This includes the Indian Point Independent Safety Evaluation, an independent panel of experts with a combined 400 years of plant safety experience. In 2009, the panel concluded, "[Indian Point] is a safe plant and Entergy is attentive to nuclear safety.
Operations are conducted competently and professionally, meeting the highest standards of the U.S. nuclear industry."
Your stated commitment that safety considerations will remain the primary focus throughout the license renewal process was especially welcomed by our labor representatives from the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2. As Messrs. Stahl and Marzullo noted during the meeting, they and their members have committed their careers to ensuring Indian Point continues to operate safely; and they would not work at the plant nor live nearby with their families if they had any concerns about its safety.
New York AREA will continue to support your critical role in ensuring that the highest standards of safety are observed and maintained at Indian Point, and we will continue to advocate for license renewal for the many compelling reasons reflected in this correspondence and during our meeting.
Thank you again for your time and for your offer of continued engagement and dialogue between your agency and our organization. We will gladly serve as a resource in any way necessary to support the NRC in its assessment of Indian Point.
- Si re y
h~fur "J ~ly'Kmer Chairma cc:
Richard Thomas, Director, New York AREA Darren Suarez, Energy Policy Director, Business Council of New York State Deborah Milone, Executive Director, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Robert Stahl, Senior Business Agent, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 Dominic Marzullo, Business Representative, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 William Mooney, Jr., President and CEO, Westchester County Association Marissa Brett, Executive Director, Westchester County Association
About New York AREA The New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA) is a diverse and ever-expanding coalition of New York's best-known business organizations, labor unions, independent energy experts, and community and environmental leaders. New York AREA members are united in their support for policies that will supply New York with reliable and affordable electric power to fuel our economic recovery and sustain New York as a world class place for people to live and to do business.
New York AREA's primary mission is to educate the general public, news media, and policy makers at all levels about New York's energy supply challenges, while simultaneously promoting sensible solutions that stimulate the economy, create jobs, and satisfy New York's growing demand for power. New York AREA continues to achieve this mission through public education, issues advocacy, media outreach, and earned media campaigns.
New York AREA is a 501 (c)(6) non-profit organization comprised of more than 150 labor and business organizations, community leaders, and New York State. Our members include:
African American Environmentalist Association Boilermakers Local Lodge No. 5 Bronx Chamber of Commerce Building & Construction Trades Council of Nassau & Suffolk Counties Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY)
Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.
Entergy Nuclear Northeast General Contractors Association of New York Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Independent Power Producers of New York International Association of Heat Insulators Local 12 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers INTL FCStone, Inc.
Milwrights and Machinery Erectors Local 740 New York State Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business New York Building Congress independent energy experts from throughout New York City Central Labor Council New York State Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Nuclear Energy Institute Partnership for New York City Queens Chamber of Commerce Rockland Business Association Rockland Economic Development Corporation Steamfitters Local 638 Teamsters Local 282 Teamsters Local 456 The Business Council of New York State The Business Council of Westchester The New York City District Council of Carpenters The Westchester County Association Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 Westchester Building Trades Westchester County Habitat for Humanity
New York AREA 114 West 47th Street, 19th floor New York, New York 10036 Haslier 03/01/2013 L
F1RSTi-OL.-".SS M.-.L ZIP 11556 011 D1 1623698 The Honorable Allison M. Macfarlane Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 2C.'
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