ML20058D657
| ML20058D657 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 07/23/1982 |
| From: | Bogues L NEW YORK, NY |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20058D615 | List: |
| References | |
| ISSUANCES-SP, NUDOCS 8207270259 | |
| Download: ML20058D657 (5) | |
Text
-
O O
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
7 ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD Before Administrative Judges Louis J.
Carter, Chair Frederick J. Shon Dr. Oscar H. Paris
x In the Matter of:
Docket Nos.
CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK 50-247 SP Inc.
(Indian Point, Unit No. 2),
50-286 SP POWER ' AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (Indian Point, Unit No. 3)
July 23, 1982
x Testimony Submitted on Behalf of "New York City Council" Intervenors By STATE SENATOR LEON BOGUES This Document Has Been Filed By:
NATIONAL EMERGENCY CIVIL LIBERTIES COMMITTEE 175 Fifth Avenue Suite 712 New York, New York 10010 (212) 673-2040 CRAIG KAPLAN, SPECIAL COUNSEL 8207270259 820723 PDR ADOCK 05000247 T
..--u O
O TESTIMONY OF STATE SENATOR LEON BOGUES My name is Leon Bogues.
I am the State Senator from the 28th Senatorial District, which includes Central Harlem and the West Side of Manhattan.
The fundamental issue that must be addressed, is that the existence of Indian Point jeopardizes the lives of not only the l
people within a ten mile radius of the f acility, but also the lives of ten million people in New York City.
The mere possibility that lives could be lost in the event of a nuclear problem shows enough cause to shut-down the Indian Point plant.
It is an act of inhumanity to allow Indian Point to operate so mearby the millions of people who live in the metropolitan area, when the destruction caused by radiation is so devastating.
No one can guarantee to me that my constituents and the peoples of New York City would be absolutely safe from any radio-active spill that might occur.
The NRC believes that a radioactive spill would not affect the City.
They " feel" that a radius of ten l
niles around Indian Point is the only area that needs to be protected by a radioactive alert response evacuation plan.
Con Edison has taken the same position.
But I am not interested in how the NRC feels and believes. When we talk about the safety of millions of lives, we do
O O
not speculate.
Although it is not certain what the actual effects of a radioactive plume hitting New York City would be, the very fact that it might hit is already too high a risk.
And do we take the word of Con Edison, when their interest in Indian Point is strictly financial?
This is the same Con Edison that assured us in 1965 that New York would never again f ace another blackout.
I do not believe. we can risk the lives of ten million people on the conjecture and speculation of such "non--obj ective" sources. We cannot speculate and play games when we are talking about that many lives.
In reading articles that were published in the New York Times and by listening to the testimonies of a rather distinguished panel of scientists, educators, and elected officials, the only just and rational conclusion that must be drawn is that the existence of Indian Point is a 1
threat not only to the people in the Indian Point area, but to the residents of New York City as well.
Scientific reports have shown that j
since. winds at Indian Point tend to travel in a southerly direction, it is most probable that the radioactive plume would in f act hit New York l
City. At only some fifty miles away from the Indian Point site, we here in New York have not been considered by the NRC for help in establishing an evacuation plan.
But even if we were to be considered for such a plan, what type of evacuation plan would we devise for Manhattan? The subways in Harlem and the West Side go to the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Ob-viously, one would not travel north to the Bronx if the radioactive plume would be traveling from that direction. Would people be any F
2 l
O O
safer in Brooklyn? This is assuming that everyone would be able to get there.
Anyone who has taken the subways during rush hours knows what a laughable idea this is.
The present overcrowding would not compare with the flocks of people who would try to ride the IRT 2, 3, 4, and 5 lines out of Manhattan.
What type of problems do you think buses and cars would meet?
Standstills on the bridges getting off Manhattan would create hours of bumper to bumper traffic. Not to mention the fact, that in my district, there is limited access to public transportation.
Or perhaps you might like to recommend -the Long Island Railroad? Under normal conditions delays can be as long as two hours.
If we depend on the LIRR for evacuation it could take days.
What about the communication problems involved? Many of my con-stituents are Spanish-speaking people. How are we to inform them of what procedures to take in the advent of an emergency? Is the NRC going to appoint Spanish interpretors on every street corner to direce people on how to exit Manhattan island? And what about all the other ethnic neighborhoods in the New York City where English is not the primary language? Do we provide them with interpretors as well, or will they become " expendable" if an evacuation became a reality.
And the elderly? The West Side has a large senior citizen popu-lation. Many of these people are shut-ins. How would the NRC account for the evacuation of these people? It would be impossible to safely remove them 6 rom their residences in a time of panic ?
Alfred Del Bello, Westche ster County Executive, stated that it would take realistically an estimated 30-36 hours to evacuate the 3
j people of Westchester county.
If this is true, how long do you think it would take to evacuate Harlem, the West Side, and the adjoining areas of New York. There would simply not be enough i
time for people to get off Manhattan Island.
To devise an evacuation plan would be ridiculous and impossible i
to execute.
It is therefore imperative that we rescind the license f
for the coninued operation of the Indian Point nuclear energy plant.
i It is our responsibility as citizens, scientists, and leaders to make 1
i every effort to prevent the destruction of life that could incur if a l
radioactive spill would occur at Indian Point. We must shut down Indian Point, and we must do it now!
l
~
l t
)
l l
l l
l
+
i
,_.._m
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -