ML20071H184
| ML20071H184 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 05/20/1983 |
| From: | Orourke A WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20071H168 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8305240539 | |
| Download: ML20071H184 (6) | |
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TESTIMONY OF THE COUNTY OP hmSTCBESTER SUBMITTED BY COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANDREW P. O'ROURT.E TO THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIE 5 ION Since the May 5 announcement of your honorable Commission that the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan, New York should be closed unless appropriate actions were taken, Westchester County government has been cooperating fully with the principel utilities in their efforts to correct the deficiencies in the Emergency Response Plan.
Let me say from the outset, that the safety of our citizens has been, and will continue to be Westchester County's first concern.' Please know that our endeavors in this matter will not cease with what has been accomplished thus far.
We are committed to achieving an Emergency Response Plan for Westchester County that can be a model for the 102 other counties in the country similarly situated within le miles of a nuclear power plant.
Westchester County government has worked and will continue to work with Ccnsolidated Edison, The New York Power Authority, and New York State to prepare for an evacuation of the area around Indian Point.
To that end, I have held or arranged, numerous meetings since May 9, 1983 with the utilities, bus company officials, bus union leaders, county officials and state officials.
Out of many hours of meetings with many concerned and dedicated people, have come seve'ral significar R8 hNa breakthroughs.
l Of immediate concern is a commitment by unions o
hg representing the majority of union bus drivers to fully support 00 gQ a two-hour orientation course on radiological emergency e
OE response procedures for all bus drivers in Westchester prior to maH June 9.
p.2 In addition, the unions heve. agreed to include maintenance workere with Class 2 drivers licenses in the course - a move
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that brings She pool from which to drew potential volunteers to
. more than 1500 drivers.
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As of this writing, bus drivers and mechanics have already begun the orientation course on radiation, in03uding bus
%i drivers' role in a radiologfeel emergency, and the use of protective noosures in radiological emergencies.
h'e expect the t
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entire driving pool to receive this training before mid-June.
f-From.this group we will ask for 500 drivers who would volunteer l
respond in the event of e radiological emergency at indian
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to t
5 Point.
Please understand, th5t participstion in this course 1.-
i does not commit sny driver to being a volunteer.
v tj 1 would like your honorable Commission to be ovare that t
the bus union leadership-in the areo has been extremely i
tj cooperative in this metter, and in fact, all six uni.cns have f
made commitments to present this orientation program to their i
- i rank and file membership.
'i Westchester County has also secured commitments from three e
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major bus conponies in the ores to sign " Letters of Intent for l
Interim Contrbets" with Consolidated Edison and the New York C
Power Authority, to provide Up to 1,ECT, DOSep for an evacuation 1
'ths number expected to be needed in a
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accident.
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- -. 3 In the a:ea of eculpnent, Westchoster County hes securt-6 a e c mre i tr.en t i:c: New Y rk State to prov:Ge bus co.mpanies with 1, Ben dosineters.
Westchester County has also secured i
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commitments from the two utilities to provide bus conpanies I
I with 1,000 bottles of potasslun iodide tablets,1,000 copies of g_.
the bus evacuation route directions for drivers, and 96 bus route evacuation maps for bus managerial and. supervisory
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personnel.
In addition Westchester ccunty will be providing
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i the bus companies with 1,0R0 ?LD's (film badges).
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Westchester County has been able to finalize ogreemente de-with the State of New York, consolidated Edison, t-he tiew York Power Authority Bnd a consulting group - The Transportation I
Sofety Planning Group (TSGF) of Albany - to Stcrt work on a j;.
long-avaited Transportation Study vc be.lieve is necessary to correct deficiencies in the public transpcrtation segment of h
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the Energency Responss Flan.
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TSPG will be etarting work on this ten-month, " hands-on" F
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rey!cw of the transportation segment of the Energency Plan e
during the week of May 23, 1983 The study will consist of i
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actual drivino of buses on all bus evacuation routes, tire-1
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study exercises, and route corrections.
We exptet progress i
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reports from TSPG at several intervala during the ten-conth period (which we vill make avsilable to your honorable i
Commi s si on) and wil) take corrections to the Energency Plan as l
reouired.
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I ask your honorable Coerission to keep in perspective the fact that this bus dilemme 6ddresses e ccaponent of the Emergency Preparedness plan thet effects approximately lit of
. the population.
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While it is extrenely inportent to protect the hesith and sa f ety of this public-transit dependant population,
904 Westchester County L5e o g: ave and substantial concern for the k
other 894 of the population who would be troveljng in their own t-t j
cars.- The issue of equipment and training for our police officers, fire fighters and emergency worl ers most be i
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addressed.
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On this c.ame subject, your honorable commission may bo
- 5 svare that this week the Town of Ossinina, which is within the t
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10-mile EP: in Weatchester County, considered removing itself t.
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f rom the Emergency Response Plan because of a lack of emergency
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equipment and training.
In response to this concern, I called
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a meeting with the two utilities and the SupEIViSor of the Town of Ossining to attempt a redress of the problems, L
An outgrowth of that meeting and a subsequent Town Council
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meeting was the Town of Ossining's compronise offer to give the utilities 90 days to correct the deficiencies, and a request
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that'! create'o County /Nunicipal Task Force on Indian Point for
[r all the liestchester communities within le miles of the nuclear el
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plants.
That Task Force has been created and will have its i
j first neeting May 26, 1983.
I expect this will be e productive l
i forum where we can assess ocr needs and strengths and nove t,
lt toward a unified solutien with the utilities and the State of ii l {
!!ew Yor k.
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p.5 On March 24, 19E3, testified belcre the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of your honorbble Conmission.
At that hearing, I soggested that the federal government take an active role i,n the evacuation portion of Emergency Response Plens for w
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nuclear power plants, by training a unit of the federal e
f m13 5 tary 'in radio 3cgical emergency techniones.
For want of a t.
f better name, I terned that military unit the FEMA Brigade,
,j envinfoning it as perhaps ottached to the Federal Emergency
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l Management Agency.
Since my testimony, I have spoy.en to federal 'officis1s'en
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l the i.eene and received an endorsement of the proposal fron
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Senetor Alfonse D'Amato (E-NY) Who will introduce leglSlation 3
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to allow for the creation of such a group.
This past week, Pew s.
York Governor Mario Cuore and New York State Mealth i
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Coraissioner Dr. David I.xelrod endorsed the concept of the t'
federal military assisting in evacuations around nuc] ear power 1
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pl ant s.
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westchester County will continue to pursue the cause of ii federal militery involvement, in any of its pernutations,'as an 4
4 sdded precaution in the event of a eerious nut 3eer accident.
t While we vi31 continue to work with the utilities, the' State,
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the bus cenpanies, bus drivers, nonicipal officials and i
smergency worl:ers, we believe the federal governennt hae $
l' requisite role in emergency planning for nuclear power plant
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accidents.
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6 Tocether with Governor Cuono and our local officials, we will seek federal resoorr.es in the solution c.f problems currounding j
nuclear power plants Whleh the federal governnent license $ and 4
j allows to remain open.
As you know, counties all across the N
h country arc duplicating efforts in creating smstgency plans for-t t-reuclear accidents.
I believe the crer, tion of a *rEMA Brigade" t3
.o r unit like ir, would save taxpayers enorn.ous amounts of J
s.j money, save local' governrcents enormone amounts of tine and
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resources, and finally would bring some peace of mind to the i
millions of citizens who live within Ic - 50 miles of the 71 Pj__
opersting' nuclear power plants in the United States.
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- t The policy of Westchester County has been one of
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consistently attempting to assure the safety of our citizens.
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we feel that we have taken the proper first steps to assure t
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t h r. t goal.
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