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{{#Wiki_filter:S ep tember 1 5, 2012 Office of the S ec re t ary , R u lemakin g s and Adj u dicat io ns S t a.ff , U.S. Nucle a r R egu latory Co mm ission, W a 9hi n gt on, D C 2 0 5 5 5*0 0 01 Fax: (30 I) 4 1 5-110 I Ema il: Ilearing.do c kct@n rc.g o v I am writ in g t o urge the Nuclear Regu l atory C o mmissi o n t o deny E n te rgy'9 ap p lication for a 20-yea r li cense cxt e n9ion fo r the t w o oper a t i ng nu clear reactor s, I P-2 an d lP-3, at In d ian P o int Energy Facility i n Bu ch an a n , N Y. I n d i an Poi nt is l o catcd in the mo s t de nsely pop u lat e d r egi on of t he c o untry and identi fi ed as on e of the m o st dEmg e ro u s n u c lear p la n ts in t h e natio n, acc o rdi n g to the N u c l o ar Reguln 1 0ry Commission (N R C) itself Over th e y e ars we have wi t n es sed n u c lea r accidents at C h emob yl a n d T hr ee Mile Isl a n d, an d most recen t l y a t F u kushima. In Aug u st 2 0 I I , N e w York expo r i e nccd th e eff ec t s o f an earthquake, Hurr i cane Irene, and 11 tornado al/ in one w e ek. It is no lo nger p r ude n t t o be li e ve that "It c a n't happen h ere." T h ere a re many fa ct o rs thnt m ake Indian Point's relicens in g flaw e d, and m a k e denying i t im pe ra tive, incl u d i n g: A lIistory of Se riou s Prohlems: The plant h as a history o f mUl tip l e transformer explosi o ns. 8 m a j o r !lte am p i pe ruptu r e, c l ogged c oo ling syst e m i nt a kes , repented sir en failur cs -nnd i s a si lt ing target for terr o rism. Dangerously o v er-cr o wded f uel poo ls: T he plant's sp e n t fu el is highly radioactive and co n t.ai n s abo 1l1 th re e ti m es the r a d i oa c tiv i ty as F u ku shima's spent fuel poo l s. Spent f u e l asse mb lies ar c d e nsely packed io lo s e ve re ly over-crowded fuel p o ol!! that arc housed in tota lly unprote c ted m etal s torag e build ing s and leakin g mdioactivity in t o the Hu ds o n. O n-Site Wllste Stor a g e: Wh en the p l an t was first l ice n sed, it was widely be lie v ed that t he fed eral go v ernment w o uld op en a national waste d e pos itory at Yucca M o unt a in. T hat o pti o n n o longer under con9idera t ion a n d there is no o th er reposito ry o n th e ho riz on. In d i a n Poi n t is now storing' , 50 0 t0 11 9 o f highly-radioactive sp e nt nucle a r wast e on-sit e. an d w o u ld ad d an a d d i t i o n a l 1,000 t ons if th e pl ant i s rel ice ns e d f or another 20 ye ar!'. Henlt h an d En vir o nmental Impact!!: | |||
Studi e s have shown incre as ed r a tes o f c a ncer and other illnes s es rel n t ed to ex p osu re f r o m p l a nned nnd unpla n ned r e leas e s o f radioactivi t y. Indian P oint's once-throug h coo li n g sy s te m u s es 2.5 bi ll ion g nl1 0 ns o f wal*e r a day fr o m t h e Hudson River , ser i o u sly impacting it s still decli n i n g fi sh p o pulation. Evacuation is Im po ss ib le: Even i f t he p ossi b i l ity of nn ea rt h q u a ke, a te r rori s t a tt ack, or a fu el po o l fire or o dler ac c i den t a t I n dian P o i n t is remot e, t hc c o ns e q uenc e s ofa s erious p r oble m at Indian Point woul d be d e v a stat i ng A pproximately 20 m il li on peop le liv e or w o r k w ith i n 50 m iles oflndian Point and t here is no e va c u a t i o n pl a n f or N cw Yor k C i ty. Wi thin minll t es of an ac c ident or in ci d ent at In d ian P o i n t, gridlock would oc cu r maki ng ev acua t i o n impo s sible. Re p la c ement En er gy is R e adil y AV A ilable: Nuclear p o wer is b e ing replaced by energy e ffici e n cy and renewab les, rcpowering and i m pro ved stora g e and ca p ab ili ty. Gove rn or C uom o's E nergy H i gh w a y is currently is cllrren tly a d d r ess i n g ways to b ri ng e xce s s power, includ in g 4 , 000 me g awat t s o f wind i n th e w e ste m part o f t he St a te , to the g real e r NY mctrop o l i t a n ar e a. In January 20 ' 2, the N Y S Assembly C o mm ittee on E n er gy con c luded t hat th e re is m o re tnan enou gh power 1 0 allo w Jn d ian P o in t to close w i th o ut overbur de ning ra t ep e yers o r th r eateni n g reli a b il ity sta n dards . T o r e li censc In di an P oi nt in its pres ent l oca tion and c o nditi o n defi e s l o g ic. To do so is pl a y ing a da n gero u s g am e o f R u ssia n r oulette with o llr liv e s and f ut ur e. when sa fe r, c l eaner al temative s ar e immediately Ava i lable, Tha nk yo u for co ns i der in g these c o m me nts. Since re ly, cc: Admini s trative Ju d ge L awrence G. Mc D a de c/o A n n e S iama c k i , L aw Cl e r k; At om ic Safety nnd Li censing Board P anel, Mail Stop T -3F23 U.S. N u cl e a r R eg u lat o ry Co mmission , Was h ington. D C 205 5Fax: (30 I) 41 5-5 599 Email: alllle.!!.iarn a cki@nr c. | |||
S cpt cHlbt:r 1 5. 2012 O ffice o f the Secretary , Ru lema kingll and AdjudicAtions Staff , U.S. N ucl ear Ro g u l a tory Commiss ion, W as hi ngton, DC 20 5 5 5-0 0 01 Fax: (3 0 1) 4 15-110 I Email: heQring.docket@ | |||
nrc.g ov r am w r iting to ur g e the Nu c lear Reg ulat ory C o mmission to de n y Entergy's application for a 20*y e af license exten sion f or t he tw o opera t i n g n ucle ar re ac tors, Ip*2 and IP-3, n t Indian Point Energy Facility in B uc ha na n, NY. J n dia n P o int is lo c at e d in (h e most de n s el y p opu la te d r e gion o f the co untry a nd i d entified as olle of t h e most dange ro u s n u cl e ar plant s in the nati o n , accordin g to t h e Nucle ar Regulatory Co m miss ion (NRC) itself. Over the year s w e hav e wi t nesse d nucl ear a c c idents at Ch ernobyl a n d Thre e Mil e I s la nd , a nd most recentl y at Fuk u shima. In Au g ust 20 1 1, New York ex.perienced th e effects of a n ea rthqua ke , H urricane I r ene , and a tomado all i n one woek. It i s n o lon ger prtt den t to b eli eve th at " It ca n't happen here." There are ma ny fac tors t hat make Indian P oin t's rclicensin g flaw ed , lind make d enying it imperative, i n cl udi ng: A Histo ry o f Se riO u!i P robl e ms: The pla n t h as a h is tory of multiple lrans fo nner explosions, a major steam pipe r upture , cl o gge d c oolin g sy stem inmk cs, repeated siren fa ilures -and is a sittin g target fo r te rr o rism. Dangerously o ver-cr o wded f uel p ools: T he plant's spen t fu el i s highly r a dioactive and co ntains about thre e times the ra.dioactivity as Fu k u s h ima's sp e nt file i poo ls. Spent f u e l assemblies ar c densely pack e d into severely over-crowded fu e l p o ols th at are ho used in to tally unp rote cted metal st orage b u i ldin gs a n d leak i ng r a dioactiv ity into the Hu ds o n. On-Site W aste St o ng e: W hen t he plant w as first it was wi d ely b elieved that t he federal g overnment would open a national waste depos itory a t Yu c ca MOlln t a i n. Th at o pt ion is n o longer u nde r con s i dera tion an d t here i s n o othe r r eposit ory on t he hor i7.on. Ind i an Poi nt is n ow storing \ , 500 tons o f highly-radi o a ctive s pe nt n uclear w 811 te o n-site, a n d would a d d an addit i onal 1,000 to ns ifth e plant is re\ic e n s ed f or anot n er 2 0 year s. H e alth and E n vironm e ntal I mpa cts: Studies have shown increa se d r a tes of cancer and ot h e r illne sses rel a ted to ex.posu re fro m plan n ed and unp l a nn ed ofradio a ctivily. Ind ian Point's once-thro u g h cooli ng sy stem us e s 2.5 b illi on g all ons o f w ater a day fro m the H ud son R.ive r , seri o u s l y impacting its still declining fish p o pUlation. Evac uatio n is Impo!lsible: | |||
Even if t he po s sibility of an earth qu ake, a terrorist Ilttack, or a. fuel po ol fir e or o ther ac cid ent at I n di an P o i n t is remo te, t he c o ns equ e nc es of a se ri o us prob l em at I n dian Poin! wou l d be dev astati ng. A ppro xima te ly 2 0 m ill i on peo p le l ive or work within 50 miles ofIndian P oint And there is no evacuation p l a n for New Y o rk Cit)'. Wit h in minut e s of n n aecidenl or inc i d ent at Indian Point, gri d lo ck w ou ld occur makin g ev ac uat ion imp os s i b l e Rep hu:em ent Energy is Readily Av ailabl e: Nuclear power is being replaced b y energy effi c ie ncy and rencwab les, re powe rin g an d imp roved stora ge a nd tr a nsm ission ca p abilit y. Govern o r Cuom o's Energy Hig hway is c urr entl y is c u rrent l y add r ess ing w ays to br ing e xcess po wer, including 4 ,0 00 meg a wa tts of w i nd in t he wes t em p art of t h e State, to the grea ter NY metropolit a n area. In January 2012 , the NYS Assembly Committee on Energy co n clud e d tha t t he re is mo re t ha n enough po we r to allow Indi a n P o in t to c l ose without overb u rdenin g r a tep ayers or threa J enin g r e l ia bility stnnda rds. T o reli cen se Indian P o i n t in its p re s e n t loc a tion and condi t i o n l ogic. To do s o is playing a dangerous ga me o f R ussian roulette wit h our li v es and future , w hen sa fer, cleaner ar e immediately av a ila ble. Th an k y ou for considering tbese com me nts. cc: Admi n istra tiv e Ju dg e La w re nce O. McD a de c lo A nn e Siarn a cld. Law C l erk; A to mic Saf el Y and Li c ensing Hoard Panel, Mai l Stop T-3F2 3 U S. N u clear Regulal'Or)' | |||
Co m mis!lion, Washington , DC 2 05 55-000 1 F ax: (30\) 415-5599 Email: | |||
Scp tcmbc l I J, 2012 O ffi ce of the Secreta ry , Rulcmakings and Adjudicat io ns Staff , U.S. Nuclear R egul atory Com miss ion, W as h in gt on , DC 205 55-0 0 0 I Fax: (3 0 1) 4 15-110 1 Email: | |||
I am writing t o urge t h e Nucl e a r Regu lat ory Co m mi!lgion to den y E nter gy's app li ca t i on for a 2 0-y eil f licen s e e x tensi on f or the TWO opera ting nu c l enr reacto rs , IP-2 and IP-3, at Ind ian Point Ene rg y F acil i ty in BUl!hanall, NY Indian P o i nt is locate d rn the most densely pop u lared re gion of the c ou n try a nd i de nt ified 3S one ofrhe most dangerous nuc lear pl n nt R in the n ation. acco r di n g to th e Nuclear Re gulat ory Co mmi ssion (NR C) itself. Over the yea r 5 we h a ve serio Lis nuclear ac ci dents al Che mob y l a nd Thr ee Mile Isl a n d, a nd m o st recently a t F u k u shim a. In August 20 11 , New Yor k experien ced t he ef f ec t s of an eart hq uake , Hurricane I r e n e. and 11 t om a do nI l in one week. It i s n o l onger prude nt to be lieve th at " It can'! ha ppen here." T her e Rre m a ny f a ctors that ma ke In d ian P o i nt's re l i c cnsing O awed, an d ma ke deny i n g i, im p erativ e, including: | |||
A H i st ory or Seri o us P rob lems: The pl ant has a h istory of mu ltipl e t r ansformer e xplosion!!. a major sten m p i pe ru p ture. c l o gge d c oo li ng s yst em inta kes. rep e ated siren | |||
-and is a sitting larget f o r I'crroris m. Da n ger o u sly over-cr owde d fu el pools: T he plant's s p ent f u el is hig hly r a dioactive and cont a ins about th re e l i mes the radio ac tiv ity as Fukus h ima's sp e nt fuel po ols. S p ent f ll el assem b l i es a re d e ns e l y packed in to s evere ly o ver-c r owd ed f u el p ools that IU'e ho us e d in tota lly un protected metol s tor a g e bui l dings ;, n d leaking radi o act i v i ty in l o the H u dson. O n-S it e Wa s te Storl\ge: | |||
Wh en t he p lant was first li ce nse d, it was widel y b e lieved tll"t th e fedora I go vern ment w ould open 11 n ational waste d ep o sitory at Y uc ca M Oll ntai n, That o pt ion is no longer under c o nsideration and t h ere is no o ther re pos i t o ry o n the h orizo n. I n dia n P o int is no w storin g 1.50 0 tons o f hi g hly-r1\di oactive s pe nt nucl ea r w aste on-si te, an d wQIJl d add an additio nal 1 ,000 tons if the pla nt is reliccn s e d f o r another 2 0 ye ar" . Hel\lth anu [n vir o n m en ta ll mpllcts: St u dies have s ho wn in cr eased rate s o f ca n cer an d or he r illn esses related to e..... poslire from pl a nne d a nd unplann ed r el eases of radi oa ctiv ity In d ian once-thro ugh coo ling system lIses 2.5 billion gallons of water a day fro m Ihe H udson Ri ver, seriousl y imp ac t ing i ts st i ll d e cli n ing fish popul a t ion. Evacuation is I m p ossible: Eve n i rth e possi b il i ty o f an a t e rr or ist att El ck , or 3 fuel pool fire or other acciden t at I ndi lln P o int is re mo te , t ile con s equen ces ('If a ser i o us pro b lem at Indian Po in t would be dev astat i n g. App roxi mat e l y 2 0 million peop le live or w o rk w ithin 50 miles of India n P o in t and there is no ev acuElti on p l n n for New Yo r k City W it hin m i nutes or a n acci de nl or i ncident at I n d ian Poillt. gridlock would occur making evacu at ion imp ossible. Re p lacemen t En er gy is Re adil y A v aila ble: N ucl e ar pow er is b eing re pla ced by energ y e fficien c y a nd rene wa b les. re p o wering an d improve d storage and tr ansm issi on c apab i lity. G o vern o r Cu omo's Energy Hig b wa y is currently is currently Cld d r e5si n g ways to b r ing c)(ces s power. including 4 , 0 00 mega w atts of w ind in the w este rn p a rt o f t he r a te, to the greater N Y metropolitan area. In Janua ry 20 1 2. th e NY S Assembly Committee on Energy con clude d that ther e is more rhan enough p ow er to allow I ndian Po int t o close wi t hout ove rb urdenin g ratepayers o r thre atening reliability standards. | |||
To relicensc Indio ll Po int in its prese nt locati o n nnd cond ition defie!i r ogic: . To do so is p l aying II dangerous ga me o f R ussian ro ul ette with our lives and future, when saf er. cle a ne r al terna ti ve s are i m medi ately avai l ab le Th a nk yo u for c onsidering these com m e n ts. cc: Adminisrrative Ju d ge Law rence G. M cDa d e clo A nne Sillrn ac ki , L aw C l erk; Atomi c S afety and L ic ens i ng Boa rd Panel , M a il Stop T-3F2 3 U.S Nu cl e ar R e gul ato ry C ommi ssion , Washingt on, DC 20 555-000 Fax: (30 I) 415-5 5 99 Em ai L Septe mber 15,2012 Office ofthe Sec retary, Ru l e makings and Adjudications S t a ff, U.S. Nuclear Regula tory Commission, Wa sh i ngton, DC 2 0 5 5 5-00 0 I Fax: (30 I) 41 5-\ 1 01 Em ai l: I am wr iting to urg e the N ucle a r Reg u lato ry Commissio n to den y Enter gy'5 application for 8 20-y e ar e xtens io n for the t w o opera1ing n uclea r reao t ors, IP-2 and rp-3, at Indi a n Point Energy Facility in Buchanan, NY. llldian Poin t is loca ted in t he most den s e ly p o p u la ted region of the country and ide nti fied as o ne of the most dan gero us n ucle a r plants in th e nation , acc or di ng t o the Nu clear Regu l at ory Commission (NRC) itself. Over the y ears w e h av e wit n esse d s e rio lls n ucle ar acci den ts nt C he moby l and T hree M ile I sl and, and m09t recently at fukushima. In August 20 I I. Now York ex perie nced the effects o f an earthqua k e, H UrT ica nc Irene, a nd a tornado all i n one week. ft is n o l o nger pru d e nt to believ e th at "It ca n't IHlppen he re." There arc m any r a c tors t h at m a ke Indi an Point's rclicensi n g flawe d. and make denying it imperati ve. i nc l u din g; A Histo ry o f Scr iou ll Probl em s: The plall t has a history of mu l tiple t r ans f o rm er explos i o ns, a maj or steam pipe rup t ure, clo gged co oli n g system intakes. r e pe a ted siren fa i/uf o s -and i, It sitting ti\fget f o r te rr orism. Dan g er ou s ly over-crow d ed fuel p ool!!: T he pl a nl.'s Spe llt fuel is highl y ra.dio a c tive and contains about th re e time s the ra di o activit y as Fu kus hima's sp e nt fue l po O!!I. S p en t fuel assemblie s a re demcl y packed i nto s ev ere ly ov e r-crowded fue l pooJs t hat are h ouse d In totnlly u np r o tected met a l s t ora ge buildi ng s and leaking radi oac tivity in t o thc Hu dson. On-Site Wftst c Storage: W hen thc p l an t was first licensed, it wid e ly be lieved that th e fede r a l go ve rnme nt would open a nat ion a l waste de po sitory at Yucca Mount a in. That opt i on is n o l o nger under consideration and there is n o oth er repos itory on t he h or i zon. I n di an P o i n t is [l OW s toring 1,500 tons of higllly-nufioacfive sp en t nuclear was t e o n-site , and would a d d an ad dit i on a l 1.000 ton s ifthe plant is reliccnsed f or another 20 yea rs. Health And Envir onmental Im p ACt'!!: Studies hav e shown increase d rafes of cancer a nd o ther illn esse s rel ated to expos u re f r om p la nned a nd un plan ned re leascs of radi o a c tivity. Indi an Point's o n ce-throu g h c o oling sys t em u scs 2.5 b illi on ga ll ons of wate r a d ay from t h e Hudson River , s e rious ly impactin g 9 ti1 1 declining fish p op ula ti o n. Ev acuation is J.mpossib l e: E vo n i f t h e po ssib ility o f an e a rt hquake, Q terrorist attack, or a fuel po ol firc or oth er accide nt at I nd ia n P oint is remot e, t h e co ns eq u ences of 0. scriou s pro ble m at Indilln P o int would b e d e v astati n g. App ro xi m a tely 2 0 million p e o ple live or w o rk within 50 mile s o frndian Poin t and t here no evacu atio n p lan fo r Ne w Yo r k C i ly. W ithin min utes of an acc iden t or i n cid e nt at (nd i a n Point gridlock would occlIr ma k ing evacuatio n imp os si bl e. R eplac e men t Ene rgy i s Rea dily Available: | |||
N ucl e ar power is being replaced by energy effi cien cy and ren e wable s, repowc ring and i m p rove d storage a nd tr a nsm ission capability. | |||
Governor Cuomo's Energy Hig h way is cu rre ntly is cU lTe n tl y [lddrcssing w ay s lo br i ng e xce s s power, includin g 4,000 megawalts of wind in t he western p ar t ofthe S tate, to th e grealer NY m c tro po litltn a r e a. I n J an uary 2012, the NYS Assembl y Commi tt ee on Ener gy concluded tha t th ere is more t h an enough p ower to a ll o w I nd i an P o in l l0 cl ose wit h o ut overburdeni ng or threal*e ning re li ability standards. | |||
To rel i censc Indian P o int in its pre sen t location and conditi o n defieq logic. T o do so is plRyi n g a da ng erous gnm e o f Russi a n rou lette wi th our liv e s and future , w hen safe r, cle an e r alternatives a r c immediately a v ailable. Th ank y o u fo r consid eri ng t h ese comments. Sincerely , | |||
M.kLft.i("..1 Ji 1 JyK cc: A d ministr ati ve Ju dge L awre n c e G. McDade c/o Anne Siam ac k i , L aw Cl er k; Atomic Safety a nd Board Pa l\cI, Mail Stop T*3 F 2 3 U.S. Nuc le ar Regulatory Commission, W as hington , DC Fa x: (3 0 1) 415-5599 E mail: a n n c.si a m ack iC w,nr c.go Se p te m b e r 15 , 20 \2 Office of the R ulema k i n gs and Adjudications Staff , U.S. Nu clear R e g ul at ory Commi ss io n, W ash in gton , DC 20 555-0 001 F ax: (3 0 I) 415-1 tOI E m a il: h eari ng.docke r(o)nrl.:.go v r am writing to urge the Nuclear Re g ulat ory Commi ssion 10 den y E nlcrgy's a pplication for a 20-year lic e n se ex ten sion for the l WO operating nuclear reacto r s , IP-2 an d IP-3 , a 1 In d ian Po in t f nergy Facil i ty in Bu cha n a n, NY. Ind i an P o i n t is loca ted i n rh e most densel y p O fJulat ed region of the c ou ntry and iden ti fie d one orthe m o st dnnge r ous nuclear plants i n t he nation, acco ro i n g to t he Nu clea r Re g ulatory C om mi ssi o n (NR C) itself. Over the years w e ha v e wit ne sse d se ri o us nu cl ear accide nts at Chern o b yl aod Three Mi Ie Isl a n d , and m ost rec e n t ly at Fukush i ma. In Augu s t 20 I I , N e w York ex.pe rien ced t he e f fe cts of an earthq u ak.e, Hurr i c an e Irene , an d a to m ado 011 i l1 one week , It is n o l on ger prude n! to beli e v e t hai " It c an't happen here." There are many fact ors that make I lldian Poi n t's relicens in g flawed, an d de n yi ng it im p e rat i ve , in cl udi ng: A History of S erious Probl ems: T he pl an t h as a hist ory of m u ltip le transform er explosi o ns, a major ste nm pip e ru pture, c logged co ol in g sy stem int a k e s, repeated s iren (ailures -ond is a s i t li ng larget f o r terror i sm. Dan ge ro usly o v er-c r o wded fu el p ools: Th e plant.'e; s penl fllel is hi g hl y ra d ioa ctive and contains abo ut thr ee t i m e s the ra d ionctiv it y as sp ent f u e l pool s. Spe nt fuel a s sem b l i es a r e de ns el y packed into se ve rely o v er-cr ow ded f u e l poo l s th a t ar e h o use d i n totally un pro t e cted metal s to r age bu ildin gs and l eaking radioac ti vi ty in t o the Hud son. On-S ite W as te Stora.ge: | |||
W he n t h e p lant fir s llicense d , iT was wi del y believe d that th e feder al go ve rn me nt woul d open a national waste depo s it o ry at Y U CCa Moun tain , Th a I op tio n no lon g er under co nsideration an d there is no o t he r repository on l il e h orizon Indian Po int i s no w storing 1,5 00 t ons of hig h ly-ra d ioa c tive spent nu cl ear waste on-site, and would add an additional 1,000 tons if the pla n t is f or ano ther 2 0 yea r s He n lt h and Environmcntal lmp act!l: St ud ies ha v e ifl crensed ra tes of c anc er and o t h er ill ness e s r ela t ed to e x.po s ure fro m pla nned and u npl a n ned re leases of radi o ae l ivity. I ndinn P(l i i'l l'S on c e-throu gh co oli ng system uses 2.5 bi ll ion gallo ns of w ater a day f rom the H u d s on River, serious ly imp a cting i ts sti II declining fish popUlati on, Evacuation Impossible: | |||
Even if the possi b ility of an e art hquake, a t e rrorist attack , or a fuel p ool fir e or o ther acci d ent at Ind i an Po i nt i s re mote, the of a ser io us pr obl em a t l ndian Po i nt w o ul d be dev ast atin g. Approximat el y 20 milli on pe op le live o r work wil h in 5 0 mil e s of India l1 P oin t an d fhere is no p l an f o r New Yo r k C ity. Wi thin m in utes of ftn a cci d ent or i nc ident at In d ian Po int. g ridlock woul d occ ur ma ki n g e va cuat ion impossib le. Replacement Energy is Read il y Avail a b l e: uc\ear power is b e i ng r e p laced by eller gy e ffiC iency a nd renewables. | |||
repowerin g an d improved storage and t:rans miss ion capab il i ty. G o vem o r Cuomo's E ner gy H ig h wfl Y is currentl y is currenLly addressing wa y s 10 br;ng excess p ow er , incl udi ng 4 ,0 00 m eg awatts of wind i n t h e we s tern pM'! of I h e Stal e , t o the gr eater Y melropol ita n ar e a , I n J a nu a ry 2012 , t he NY S Assem b ly Comm itt e e on Ener gy co n c l u d e d that t h ere is more t h a n enou g h power to allow In dian Point t o c lose WIth out o verb urde ni ng r at e payers or t h r ea ten ing relia bil ity sta.ndar ds. To rel icen se Indian Po i nt in its pr e se nt location a nd c o nditi o n defies l o g ic, To do '10 pla y in g a dangero us game of Rus s ian rou l elle w ith our lives and f u t u r e, w h en s a fer , cle aner alterna t i ves a rc av a il able. Thank you ror conside ri n g com ments. Sincerely , 0-+=\ ; L-'f'n. \.7 Q...A lr Lt7 s"\ ) | |||
I A dm inistrative Judge Lawr ence G. M c D a de c/o Anne S ianlacki, L a w Ato m ic Safely Dnd L icens in g BNtrd Pan e l , Mail SlOp T*)F 23 U.S. Nu clea r R eg ulatory Comm iss io n , W ash ingl o n, DC 20S5 5-000Fax : (301) 415-5 599 Email: | |||
SepTember 15 , 2012 Office o f t h e Secreta ry, Rulem akin g s n nd A djudicalions S t a ff, U S Nu c leAr R e g ulatory Commission, . Wash i ngton, D C 20555-0 00 I Fax: (3 01) 4 15-I 101 E mail: llearin g.dQcket@nr c.go'v, [ a m writing t o urge th e Nuclea r Re g ulatory C ommission to deny Enlcrgy's applical io n for a 20-yea r l icense e xt e nsi oll for the tw o operat ing nu clear reac t ors, l P-2 and IP-3, at Ind ian Poin t Energy Fa c il i ty in Buchanan, :-.I Y. In diEm Po i nt i s located i n the most de nsel y p o pulat ed re gion of the counl.ry a n d iden tifi e d 8 5 o n c of the most dang erous nuclear plants in t he natio n, accord ing to the Nuclear Re g ulatory C ommi ssio n (NR C) i tself. Over the ye a r s we hav e witnessed ser i o us n u clear a ccide nt s 81 Ch emo byl and Three Mi l e lsland, and mosr recently at F ukushim a. In A u g ust 20 I I , New York ex p erie nced the effects o f an earthquake, HUITican e I rene, an d a tornado all in o nc we e k. It is no lon ger pr u den t to believe th at "It c an't happen h ere." There are many factors t h a t make In diall Point's reli cc n sing Oawed. Cl n d lTI ake denying it i mp e rative , inclu ding: A History of Serious Prob le ms: Th e p lant has a I list o ry of m Ul tiple transf o rmer a ma j or stea m pi pe ruptu r e, c logged coo ling sy stem intak e!!, repealed siren f a ilur e s -nnd is a sitting target for ferroris lTI. Da n ger ou dy over-crowded fu el pools: T h e plant's sp ent fucl i s h i g hl y rad io active co ntains about t hr e e tim es [he radioact iv ity ns F uk u sh i m Cl's spent fuel p ools. S p ent f uel a ss embllcs ar e den sely packed into o v e r-crowded fue l poo l s th a t Are Il oused i n totll il y unp ro te,ted m e{81 storage h u i ldi n gs an d le a king radioactivity inl O the Hu dson. On-Site Waste Wh en the p lan t was first l ice ns e d, it w as w i de l y believed that the f e deral go vernme n t wo ul d open a na tional was te dep osito ry at Yucca Mounta in. Tha t o ptio n is no lon ge r u n der consideration and t her e is no o th er rep os itory on t he hori zo n. In d ian Poi nt i s now storing 1 ,500 Ion s of hi gh Iy-rad l o ac t ive 'lpe nt nu cle ar wa s te on-si t e , a n d wOlild a dd an add iti ona I 1 ,00 0 to n s if t he p l ant is reli c ens ed for an o t h er 20 years. HeaU h nn d [nv i r oomental l mpacls: S tudies have shown increased r ates of cancer and O1'hc r illnes ses re l ated to ex.po3 ure fro m p l a n ne d an d u nplanned rele"ses of ra dioaer.i v i ty Indi an Point's once-through cooli ng s y stem uses 2.5 bi llio n gallons o f water a day f r om th e H ud son River , serio u s ly impaclin g i t s st i ll declining fish pop ulation. Evacuation is Impossible: | |||
Even if t he po s sibil i ty of an enr t hquake. fI terror i s t a tt ack, or i:1 fucl poo l tire or other acci dent at In d ian Poi nl is rem ote, th e conscquences or a seri o us problem at I ndian Poin t w o u ld be dcv a stat in g. Ap pr o xim a te ly 20 m ill io n peo p l e live o r w o rk within SO mile s of Indian Po i nl and there is n o ev a c uation plan for New Y or k City. W ithi n mi n utes of 1111 acc i d e nt or inci dent I'll I n dian Poi n l. g ridlock wou ld oc c ur making e v ac uat ion impossible. | |||
Rep lacemen t Energy is Rea di l y Ava i lable: N u cle ar power i s bein g r ep l ac ed by ener g y effi ci ency a n d rencwables, rep owering a n d i m pr oved storage an d tran smission c n p abil i ty. GOIICMlOr Cuomo's Ener gy Hig hway is c urrentl y is curre n tly addres sing ways t o bring excess pow e r, inc l uding 4,0 00 m eg awatts o f w i ud in the western p a rt of t h e State , to the gr ear.er NY metr o p olitan ar ca. ln January 20 \2, the NYS Ass e mbly C o m m ittee on En er gy conclu ded t h at there is /11ore tha n en ough power t o a ll ow I ndian Poinl t o clo$c withoul over b ur d enin g ralepay ers or t h reaTening reli abili ty s tandards To relic cll s c In dian Po i n t in lIs presenl l o eCltian and condi tion dei i es lo gic To do so is playing fl dan gerous g a me of Ru s sian roulette with ou r lives and futu re , wh en sa f e r, cleaner allern at ives arc immediately av a i l ab le T h ank y ou for co n side ring Ihest;; co mments. S i necreIY, <<&??<_. (J..o -:-/D I L * ) /7 S RJ7/c ,&-/C T t II..-(r,jV L. / .( r AJ.:PO eP OJ., S' r .!!T-a: rK /tJ V , A dminis t r a tive J ud g e LClwrence G. McDnde c/o A n ne Si!l.rna ck i, Law Clerk; Ato mic Sa fety and Li ce ns ing B o ard Prl n e l, Ma il SlOp T -3F2 :l U.S. Nucl ear R egulatory Commi9s ion, Washington , DC 2 0555-000FilX: pO \) 41 5-5 599 E mail : i!ll!l O!flJ.naci< i (@l[<.!.. | |||
September 15 , 2012 Officc o f t he Secretary, Rule m a ki n g s and Adjudications Stnff , U ,S. N u cl ear R eg ulatory Commission, Washingto n , DC 20555-0 0 01 Fax: (30 I) 4 15-110 I Emai l: hearin g.d, o c ke!@nrc.go v I am writi n g to urg e the N uc l ear Re gu l atory Commissio n to den y E nter gy's applicntion fo r a 20-ye ar li cense exte nsion For the tw o operating nuclear react o rs, IP-2 and IP-3. at Indian Point Energy Facility i n Bucha n an, NY. I n d i an Poi n t is located in th e m os t de n sel y popu lated re gion of the country and ident i fied one of the most danger ous n uc lear p lan ts i n th e n atio n , Acc o rdin g t o the N u cl ear Regulatory Com m issi on (N RC) itse l f. Over the years we hAve witnessed serious nuclear accide nts at Chcm ob yl an d T hree Mile Island , and most recently a t Fukushima, In Aug us t 20 11, Ne w York ex p erie nc ed the e ff e cts of a n earthquak e , H urri cane Irene, a nd f\ t ornado all ill one week. It is n o l ong e r pr udent t o belie ve tha t li n ca n't hR p p en here." Th er e a re man y f a ct ors tha t make [ndi a n Point's relic e nsin g flawed, and make denying it imperati v e , includin g: A His tory o f Se riou s Problem s: Thc p lll n t has a history of multip l e transformer exp l osi ons, a m ajor st ea m pipe ruptu re, clo gged cooling syst em in ta k o s, rcpea ted s i ren failures -and is a silting t a rget for telTo r ism. Dang ero u sl y o ver-crowde d f uel pool!'!: T he plant's spe n t fue l is highly ra d i oac t ive and contAins abo ll t three limes the ra d io activ ity as Fuk ush ima.'s spent fuel p o ols , Sp ent fuel a ssemb lie s are densely packed int o s eve rely over , crowded fuel p oo ls th at are hou sed i n tot all y u npro tected me tal storag e buildin gs and leaking radioactivily in to th e Hudso n. On-Site W aste Storage; When the pl a nt was firs t li cen s ed, it was widely believ ed that the f ed e r al government wou l d op en a na tio nal waste depo si tory a t Yucca Mountain T ha t option is no longe r under considemtion and t h ere n o other repo s itory on the h orizon. I ndia n Point i s n ow storing 1 ,50 0 tons ofhighlY-Tadioactive nuclear WAste a nd wo u ld ad d an ad d iti on al 1, 000 tons if the plant is relicensed for another 20 year s. He alth lin d E n v ironm ent llllm pact8: Srudi c!I hllve s hown increased rates of cancer and o ther illn e sses related to exp os ure f rom pl anned Ilnd u np l a nne d releas e s of radioactiv i ty. Indian Point's once-through cooling system uses 2.5 billion ga ll ons of wat er a day from the Hu ds on Ri v er, serio u s ly im p acting its still declinin g fish p o pulatio n , Evacliati o n i ll Impossible: | |||
Ev e n if th e p ossibility of an earthquake, 11 terrorist attack, 0 1' a fuel pool firo or other acc i den t at J ndian P oint is rem ote , the co nse<J uences of a serious problem at I ndia n Point would be devastatin g, App roxima t el y 20 m il lion peop l e live or work wi th in 50 miles o flndian Point Hnd there n o eVAcuati o n plan for New York Ci ty. W ithin minutes of an ac ci de nt or inc i dent at Ind i.a n Poi nt , gridlock would occur m aking evac ua ti on im poss ible. RcplR cemen t En ergy is R ea dily AVAilable: | |||
N uclear p ower is being replaced by energy efficiency a nd re p owering an d im proved storage a nd tran s mission capab i l ity. Governor Cuomo's Ener gy High w ay is currently is cu rre nl!y a dd ressing w ays to bring exc e ss pow e r , including 4 , 000 m eg awatt s of wind in the western p Hrt ofth e State, to the g r eat e r NY me tr opo lit an ar el\. In J a nuary 2012, t he NYS Assembly C o mmittee on Energy conclu d ed t hat there is m o re t han e noug h power to allow Indian P oi nt to close without overburdening ratepayers or threatening reliabil ity s tandards. To rel ic ense In dian P o in t in i ts present locatio n an d condition defies l og ic. T o do so IS pl a yin g a dan gero us game of Rus sian roule tt e with o u r Jives and future , when safer, cleaner alternative s arc i m m ediatel y avail able. Tha nk y o u f o r consideri n g Ihese com ments. Sincerely , )J(au IdA /0 W ....../'s...k. Administrative .Iu dg e Lawrence G. McD a de c/o A nne S;amacki, Law C l er k; At o mic Safety Ilnd Licensing Board Pnrlei , M a il Stop T-3F23* U , S, N u clear Regulatory C om m i ssion, Washington , DC 2055 5-0001 Pax: (30 1) 415-559 9 Sm a i l: an n c. s;arnac k i@n r c , go v Sept e mber 15,20 1 2 O ffi ce of the S ecre tary, Rule ma kings a nd Adjudications Staff. U.S. N u clear R eg ulatory Commission,' | |||
WllShington , DC 20555 -0 00Pa x: (301 ) 41 5-1 1 01 Em ail: I am writ ing to urge the N u cl ear Re g ulato ry to d eny E ntergy's application for a 20.year l ic ense extension for til e t w o oper ating n uc le ar rea c tors, IP-2 a nd IP-3 , at Indian P oint Energy Faci l ity in Buchanan, NY. Indian Point is lo cated in thc most d enso l y populated rcgion ofthe cou nt ry and identified as o n e of the mos t da ngero us n ucle a r plants in thc na tion, according to the Nuclear R egu l ato ry Commission (NRC) itself. Over the ye ars we h ave witn es s ed seriou s n u cl ear a cc i dents at Chem obyl a nd T hree Mile Islnnd, aod m o st recently at Fukushima. III Augu$( 20 11, New Yo r k expe rie nced th c e f f ects o f an ea rt h q ua ke , Hurricane Tre ne. and a tornado a ll in one week. It is no lo nger prudent to believe thllt "It ca n't h app e n he re." T here a re m an y factors tha t make lndian Point's relicen!lin g flawed, and make d enying it imper rr tiv c , i n cluding; A Hi!lt o ry of Se ri o u!I Problem s: The plont has a history of multiple transfonn e l' explosions, a m a jor ste am pip e ru p ture , cl o gg ed cooling sy s tem intak e s , r e peat e d siren fa i l u res -a n d i 9 a sil1ins target for terrorism. Dan g crou!lly ove.....c rowde d fu el pools: T h e plant's spent fue l is highly rndioactive and contains ab o ut t hr ee time s the rad io ac tivity as s pent fuel p o ols. Spent fu e l assembli es a re dcnsely packed into soverely ov e r-crowde d fue l p o ols that R re hou!lcd in totally unprote c f'ed metal storage bui l di ngs Bnd leaking radio activi ty into t he Hu d son. On-S ite Wa.'1te StorAge: When t he pl ant was first licensed, it was widely b e lieved tha.t 'he fed eral govemme nt would o pen a natio nal waste de po sito ry a t Yucca Mou nt ai n. That option is no longer under co ns iderati on nnd there i s no oth er repo sitory 011 t h e ho ri zo n. In dia n Po i n t is now storing 1 ,500 toos of hi gh ly-radioact i ve spent nucl ear was te on-site , IlI1d wo u ld ad d an 1.000 I ons i f the plant relicensed for another 20 years . Hea llh and Environmental Impacts: Studi e s have shown increased ra te s of cancer and othe r il ln ess e s relate d t o e xpos u re fr om p lann e d and u nplanned relell.90 S o f radioactivity. | |||
Indian P o int's once-throu gh coolin g sy ste m u scs 2.5 bi llion g allon s of wate r E\ day fro m th e Hudson River, se riously impacti n g its still declining fi s h popu l ation. EVAc uation i s Imp oss ible: Even if t he possibility of an earthquake, a terrori,t a n ack, or a fuel po o l fire or ot h er a cc iden t at J n di an Point i s rem ote, t he consequenccs of a seri o us p ro blem at Indi an Point woul d be devas l*a ting. Approxima te ly 20 million p eople live or work within 50 mile s of India.n Point and there is no evacuati o n pla n f o r New Yor k City. Wi th i n min u tes o f an acci d ent or i ncid ent al Indian Point, gridlock would oCCu r mak ing e vacuation impossi bl e. Replacement Energy is RC Rdily Available: | |||
Nucl ea r power is being replRc e d by energy e ffici ency and r c newa bles, re p ower in g an d im p roved sto m ge and transm is si o n cap a.bility. Oove m or Cuom o'!! Hner S}' H ig hway is curr e n tly i s c urre ntl y ad d r essi ng wny s t o b ri n g cxcess power, includ i ng 4 ,000 megawatts of w ind in the west e rn part of the State (0 the greater NY metro p ol it an a r e a. In J an u a ry 2 012 , the NYS Assembly Commi tt ee on Ener gy conclu d e d th at th e re is more than cnough pow er t o allow In d ian Point t o cl ose witho u t ove r bu rdening ratepayers or thre a t ening rel i ab i lity standa rds. To relicensc In dian P oint in its present l oca ti o n and c o ndition dcfie s logic , To do so pl ay ing a da n gerous game of Russinn roulette wi t h our liv es and f uture, wi len safer, c leane r a l tcrnatives are imme di ately availa b le. Thank yo u for consid e ri n g th ese comm e nts. Si ncerel y , Ifll I \)\ (l..-tL.. tLl I Adminis trat i ve J udge Lawrence G. M cDa de c l o An ne Sia ma cki, L a w Clerk; Atomic Safety an d Licensing Board Panel , Ma i l Stop T-3F23 U.S. Nu c l e ar Re gul a tory Commis s ion; Washington, DC 20555*0001 Fax; (3 01) 4 15-5599 E mail: | |||
Se pte m ber 15,2012 Offi ce of th e Se crctary , Rul em a kings a nd Adjudication s S t aff, U.S. N uc le ar R eg u l a to ry Commissi o n, Washin gt on , DC 2055 5-0001 Fax: (3 0 1) 415-110 1 E m a il: b, caring.dqck c l@nrc.g ov I am writing to u rge the Nuclear Regul atory Co mm issi on t o de ny E nt o rgy's application for a 20-year li ce nse exten s io n for the tw o oper at ing nuclear reac to rs, and IP-3. at Indian P oi n t En ergy F acility in Buc ha nan, NY. Indi a n Po i nt is loc ate d in t h e most dengcly populat ed reg ion of the c ou n t ry an d id e nti fi ed 8 S one of the m ost da ng e ro us n uclear pl ants in t h e nation, ac co rding t o t h e Nu c lc ar Re g ula to ry C o m miss io n (NRC) i ts e lf. Over the yeaTS w e ha ve w i tne ssed se r i ous nu cl e ar accidents at Chemo b yl a n d T h re e M ile Islnnd , and most rece nt ly at f uku sh ima. In August 2 0 11, Ne w Y o rk e xper i e n ced th e e ff ects o f a n e art hqu a ke, H u rrica n e 'r e ne, and a to rna d o a ll in on e week. It is no lo nger prudcnl to b el i eve th at "It can't h appen h ere." T h ere arc m an y fa ct ors that m a ke Ind i an Po in t's rclic e n s i ng flawed, nnd de nying it imperati ve, includi n g: A Histo ry o f S erious Proble ms: Th o p l ant h ll H a hi sto ry o f mU l t iple tr a nsform er explo s i ons. 8 ma jor steam pip e ru p t ure, clo gged c oo ling syste m in t a k es, re peal ed siren failures -a n d is a si tti n g target for t e rrorism. D Ro gcro usly fuel poo ls: T he p l ant's spent f'\l el i s hi g bl y radio active and c ontai n s about three ti mes the ro dio ac ti vi ty as FlIkushima's s p ent fuel p ool s. S p ent fuel a sse mbl ie!l are densel y p a ck ed i n to se ve rely over-crow ded fue l p oo l s that arc housed in t ota lly un p r o t ect e d metal sto r ag e buildings and lea k ing rad io<l c tivi ty into th e Huds on. | |||
W a s t e St orage: Wh en the pl a nt was firsllice ns ed , it was w id e l y belic ved that the feder al g o v e m m ent w o u ld ope n a nationa l wasle depository At Yuc c a. M ountain. T h a t option is no lo ng er u n d er con s i d e r a tion and t here is no o l'h e r repo si to ry o n I h c horizon. In d i all P o int is no w sto ring' , 50 0 to n s of hi gh l y-radi o active nuc le a r waste on-site , and wou l d add an additional r ,000 I o ns if the plant is re lic ensed fo r an oth er 20 years. Health and Environmental Stud ies have s h o w n i n crease d r ates of canc er an d othe r i llne sses r eln ted to ox posure from planned and unpl<lnned releas e s o f radioacti v i ty. I nd ian o n c e-thro u gh c ooli ng system u s es 2.5 b illion gallons o f water 11 day from the H ud so n Ri ver, s eri ollsl y im pac ting its s t ill declini n g fi sh pop u l a t ion. \:v ll c unt ion i!l l mpossi ble: Ev e n if the po!ls ibilily o f an e a rt hquake, 8 terr o risl att a ck , or a f ue l p o ol fi re o r oth er acc i dent at Indi a n P o i nt is remote , the co nse q u en ces o f a se r i ous p ro ol cm a l (ndian Poin t wo u l d b e d e v astating. A p proximate ly 20 m illion people live o r work with in 5 0 miles of Indian Poi n t an d there ill n o eva c uation pl an f o l' New York C ity. W ithin m inutes of an accide nt or incident at In d in n Po int, gr i d l o ck w ou ld occ u r ma king evac u a tion i m p os sible. Repll,cemcnt Ene rror is R eadily AVA i I R b l e: N ucle ar p ow e r is bei n g re plac ed b y energy e ffici e ncy and re n ewablcg, re powering ond i m p r oved st o rage an d tran sm i!l s ion capabil i ty. G overnor Cuom o's Ener gy H ighway is c urrently is c u rre ntly addressing ways to bring e xc ess p ow e r, i ncl ud in g 4 , 0 00 m e g awatts of w i nd in th e w est e rn p a rt o f I'h e State, to thc gr eater NY me tropolitan area. In January 2012, the N YS Asse mb ly C o mmi tt ee on En ergy c o n c lude d t h at t here is more t h an enou gh power to allow fndia n Poi nt to close w i t h ou t ove rbu r deni n g r a te pa yers or rhrea fening r cl ia h ililY standa rds T o r elice ns e Jn dia n P oin t in i ts p rese nt lo c a t i on an d con di t i on d efies lo g ic. To do i s play i ng a dang e rous g a me of R ussian roulette with o u r Jives a n d fut u r e, w h e n s af e r , clea n er alternati v es nrc im mediat el y available. | |||
Th ank you for c onsidering these comments. Cft,--J.I e ,e.ING -P h, n r, f-L/0 L)) po .1?J | |||
: w. L th.re.hCA..rY1 VI1 !I"t 0 61_5' 1 C:. cc: Ad m inistrative .Iud g e L awre nce G. M c D a de c/o Anne Siama cki , Law C le r1<; Atomic Safely and Licensin g B oard P a nel , M ail Stop T-3 F 23 U.S. Nuclear Regu l atory Co mmissio n, Wa s hington, DC 2 05 55-0F ax: (301) 415-5 5 9 9 Email: | |||
Sep tembe r 15 ,20 12 O ffiee o f t he Sec ret a ry, Rule maki n gs and Adjudication s Sta ff, U.S. N u clear R e g ulatory C o m m is s ion , W as h in gt o n, DC 20 555-000 1 Fax: (3 0') 415-1101 Email: , am writ ing to u r ge the N u cle ar Reg ulat o ry Commission to d eny npplicati o n f or a 2 0-ycar licc n!>c exte ns ion for t h e two oper ati n g nuc lear rea cto r s, IP-2 and JP-3 , a t Indian Point Ener gy Facility in Bu ch anan, NY. I n dian P oi nt is loca t e d in the most d ense ly popula ted region of the cou nt ry and identified a s o n e of the m ost dangerous nu clea r pl an ts in t h e na t i on, ac cor ding 1'0 t he Nu clear Regulatory Commission (NRC) itse lf. O v er the years w e have seri o us nuclear accidonts at C he mobyl a nd T h r ee Mi l e Tsland. a n.d mos t recen tly at F ukushim a. Tn Au gust 20 1 1, Now York e xpe rio n ced t he e ff ec ts of a n ea rth quake, Hurrica"e Irene, a n d 0 torna d o a ll in one week. It is no lo nger prudc n! to b o liov e that "It can't h ap p en h e re." T h e r e II r c many factors that mak e I ndia o Poi n t's re l ic en s ing flaw ed , and mft ke denying it imperativ e, inc l uding: A Histo ry of Se r i ous T h e plant has II his tory o f m ultipl e tr a ns form er expl os ion s , II m ajor steam pip e r llp tu r e , clogged c o o l ing system i n t a k es , rep ea t e d sire n fa ilures -and is a sitti n g targot fo r t e rrorism. D a ngerou s ly over-crowde d fuel pools: T hc plant's spent fu el is hi g hly r a dioactive an d co nta ins a bou t three ti me s the ra dioactivity a s spent fuel pools. S pent f u cl asge m blie s a.r e de ns el y p a cke d int o se ve rely ove r-crowd e<l fuel poolg that are h o used in \'ol:ally unprotected me t al storagc b ui l di ngs an d leaking r ad ioa ct iv i ty into the Hudson. On-Site Waste Stornge: When the p lant was first it wa s w idely be li ev ed thn t t h e fe der al governm e n t wou ld open a na t i o nal was te deposit ory at Yucca Mo untain. Tha t opti on i s n o lo n g er u nde r co n s idera l ion and thc re is no othe r rep ository o n the h o rim n. In d i a n Poi nt i s now stori ng 1 ,500 tons of spent nu cleAr waste on-s i te., an d w o uld a d d an additi onal 1, 00 0 to ns if t he p l an t ill reliccnsod for another 20 y e ars. Health and Environme ntal Impacts; h ave show n incr ea s e d rates of c a nc er an d o t h cr illn esse s rela t ed to ex p o s ure fro m pla nned and un p l nn ned r e l c ases of ra d io a ctivi ty. Tn d ian Po int's onc e-thro ugh c o ol i ng syste m u s es 2.5 bi ll ion gall ons of water a day fr o m the Hu d so n Rj v or , se riously impactin g stil l dec li ni ng fi s h popu lat i on Evacuation is Impossible: | |||
E ven j f the po s si b il ity of an e a rt h q uake. II te rrorist Att a c k, or a fu e l pool fire or other accident at India n Po i n t is remote, the c onseque nces of a s erious p rob lem at In d i an P o int w ou l d be d evastating. Approximately 2 0 m il l i o n peo ple liv e or work w i th i n 50 m iles o fr n dian P oint and ther e is n o e v acuation pl an for N e w York City. Wit hin min ulcg of a n ac cident or incide n t nt I n d ian Po i n t, gridlock would occ ur making evacu at ion imposs ible. Re plac e ment En e rgy is Rea dily Available: | |||
Nuc l ear power is being repl a ced by energy efficiency a nd ren e w ables, repow ering and im proved storage a n d tran s m is s ion capabil il Y. Govern or C u o m o's Ener gy H i ghway i s curre n tly is curr antly ad dressing w a y s to b r in g ex c e ss p ow e r, incl uding 4 ,000 me ga watts of wind in t h e western pa rt of t h e S tate , t o f he greate r N Y metro p olitan Rren. In J a nua ry 2012 , the NYS Asse m b l y C ommitt ee on Ene rgy conclu ded that th er e i9 m ore thlln enough p o w er to allo w Tnd ian P oint to close with o ut o vcrburd e ni ng ratepayer s or thr e ate n ing relia bility standards. | |||
To r e Jicellse Indill n P o int in its prese nt lo cal:i on an d condi t i o n de fie s log i c. T o do so is pl ay ing a d angerous gam e o f Russian rOllle tte witl\ our liv es and r u tur e , when safer, clean e r alternatives are imm ediRt e l y avnilable. | |||
Th ank you for considering these comm ents /,;1 G I?d.Sincerely , | |||
6.J . | |||
\, ttY>1 11M o ...s.76 Ad min istrative J ud gc r..awrence G. M cD ad e c/o A n n e Siamacki, Law Cle r k; A t omi c Safety and Lice n sing Board P ane l , Mai l Stop T-3F 23 U.S. N uclear Regulatory Commiss io n , W as hington, DC 2055 5-0Fax: pO I) 415-5599 Em a il: | |||
Se p t e mber 15 , 2012 O ffi ce of the Se c reta ry, and Adjudicat i ons Staff, U , S, N ucl e a r R e g u l at ory Commissi on, W ashin gt o n , D C 20 5 55-0 001 F!IX: (3 0 I ) 4 J 5-1 J 0 1 Email; h co.ring. do c kel@nr c , gov 1 am w rit ing to urge t he Nu clear R e gulatory Commi ss io n t o deny E ntergy's ap p lication for a 20-y e a r license e xt'cosio n f or t he tw o o pe mt i n g n u c l e a r react o rs, IP-2 a n d TP-3. al' Indian Poin t E ner gy Facility in B uc hana n. NY, Indi an P o in t i s loc a ted in t h e m os t de nsel y po pu la ted region of the co untry and ide nt i fi ed as one o f Ihe most dan ge ro u s n u clo ar plants in th e nat ion, ac co rdi n g to the N u c l e ar Re g u l alOry Commission (NR C) its elf. Over the year s w e h a ve wit n essed serious n ncl ear accid en ts at Ch e mo by l and Thr ee Mi le [sland, and m ost recently at Fukushim a , In A u g u st 20 I I , Ne w Yor k experienc e d the e ff e cf s of a n earthquake, H urr icane I re n e , a nd a tornado a ll i ll one wee k. It i s no l o nger pru de nt t o beli e v e that "I t can't hap pe n here." There a rc m any fa ctor s t h aI m a ke In d i an P o int's r elicellsin g fl awed, and mak e denyin g il i mp erati v e, i n cluding: A Histo ry o f S e r ious Pro bl ems: The p l an t ha s a hi s tory of multipl e transfo r mer explosions. | |||
a m aj or st eam pi pe ru pt u r e , cl ogged co o ling sY!lte m in t H k es, r e p eated siren f a il ures -an d i s a si tti ng tA r get f or te rr Ol;s m. D ange rousl y over-c rowde d fu e l pools; T h e planl 's s pent fue l is hi g h l y radioactive and con t ain s abo u t t h ree ti mes t h e ra d i o activi ty B9 Fu k u s hi ma's 'lp e nt fu el pool s. S pen t fuel assemblie s are densely packed into severely o v e r-cr o wde d f uol p ools t ha I ar c house d i n tota lly u np r o t ect e d metal s t o rage buildin g s and lenkin g ra d ioactivity i n t o t he H u d son. On-Sil e Waste Sto ra ge: W he n the pl a n t was firs t licensed , it was w i del y belie v ed that t he fed eral g ov ern m e n t wo u l d op en H nati o nal waste de po s i to ry at Y L1 c c a Mountai n. T h at o p t ion is n o longer unde r col1!l i d era tio n a n d t h e re i s no o t h er rep osit ory on th e horizo n. Indi a n P oiot is now sloring 1.50 0 tons of hi g hl y-radioa ct ive s p e ot nuclear waste on-si te. and wo u ld a d d a n "ddi t io na l I , 000 t o n s if th e p hm t i s relicenscd for an o ther 20 ye ars. Heal t h and E n vironmen tlll l m pa ct'S: S tu dies h a v e sho w n increase d r a tes of cancer a nd o t h er illnes s c s rel a ted t o ex p o s ure fr om p l a nn ed and unp l an ned rele ases o f rad i o activi t y. Indian Point's once-thro u gh c o ol i n g sy ste m u se s 2, 5 nitli on g a ll ons o fw ato r a d ay fr om the Hudson River. seriously i mp a ct i ng its still declinin g fis h po pulati on, Eva c uat ion i s I mpo s sible; Ev en i f the p os s ibility o f an eart h q uake. a Icrror i sl attack, or a fuel p o ol fire o r o t h er accident at I n d i a n Poi n t is remot e , the c o n se quences or a serious problem at I ndian Point would be devastatin | |||
: g. Appr ox ima tely 2 0 milli on pe o ple live O r work w i thin 5 0 m ile s of rn d ian Po int and there is no o v a c ua t ion p lan for New Yo rk City. W i t h i n mi nu te s of an ac c ident or inci d ent a t Indian Poin t. gridlocl-; would oc<:u r mak ing ev ac ua t i o n imp o s s i b le , Re p la c ement Energy lS Readily Avai lable: N uclear po w er is being replnced by energy effi c iency an d r e n ewa bl e s, r c pow erin g and improved sto ra g e an d t ran sm i ss ion c a pa b ility , G ove rno r Cu om o's E ner gy H ig hwa y ig cu r re nt ly is c urrent ly address in g way s to b r i n g exce s s po w er, incl ud in g 4 , 0 00 meg a wa lts o f w i nd in tile w e s te rn pa rt o f the St a le, t o t h e gr e a te r NY metrop olita n ar e a , I n Jan u u ry 2 01 2 , fhe NY S As se m b ly C o mmi t tee on En er gy c oncl u de d t ha t th ere is m o r e t ha n enou gh pow er to a llow Indi a n P o in t to c l ose w it hout over b ur d enin g ratepayc ..or th reate n ing re l ia b i l ity slan d ards. T o r el ic e n s c I n di an Poi n t in it s pre sc nf locati o n an d condition defies lo g ic. To do so i s p lay in g a da ngero us gi\m e of R u ssian rOlllett e w it h our liv es an d fu t ure , when s afer, cl eane r alternatives are im med iate ly available. Th ank y o u fo t considerin g t hese c o mments , Si n cerel y, cc: A dministrativ e Ju dg e La wrence G. McDade e/o An ne S i amac k i, la w C)*rk; At o mic Sa f ety and Li cen s i ng B oar d P a nel. Ma i l SI'OP T-3 FU.S, Nu cloa r R o g u l at o ry C o m m is s ion, W a shingt on , DC 2 05 5 5-F R X: (30 I) 415-5 599 E ma il: annc.siarnac k i@nr c. | |||
Se p te m ber t S, 2012 Office of t he Se cre tary , Ru lemak iJlgs and Adjudicati o ns St a ff , US. N uc l c a r R e gula t o ry Commi s sio n , Was h i ngto n, D C 2055 5-0 0 0 1 Fax: (3 0 1) 4 1 5-110 I E mail: hca ring.do c ke t@nrc.go v I am wr i t in g t o ur ge t he N ucl ea r R e gul a tory Commission to deny Enter gy's a p plication for a 20-year li cen e extensi o n fo r th o tw o o p erating nu cle a r re act ors, IP-2 and IP-3, at Indian P oint Energy Facility in Bu ch an an, NY. In dian Poi nt is lo cate d i n the most densely populated r egi on of the country and idenl-ifi ed as one of th e m ost da n g e rous nu c lea r pla n ts in the na io n, accor d i ng to the Nuc l ear Regulatory Commission (NRC) itsel f O ve r thc y ears we h ave w i tnessed serious nuclear ac ci de nts at Chem ob y l and Three Mile Island, and mo st rece n tl y at F u ku shima. In August 2 011 , N e w Y ork oxpc ri e nced t he e ff e c t s Of M ea rth q u ake, Hun-ieane f ren e. and a torna do a ll in one week. It is no longer p rudent t o b elieve th at " It can't h app cn he r e." Th ere a r e many f ac to rs t hat mak e Indian Point's relice ns ing flawed. and m a k e denying it i m perat i v e, inc l uding: A Hi!ltory o f' S eri ous Pro blem9! T he plant has a history of multiple tra nsf onner explosions. a major s tea m pipe r u ptu re , c logg ed c ooling system intak es. rep e a ted siren fa il urell -and is II s i tt ing target f o r t e rr orism. | |||
over-c rowde d fu el pools: T h e plant's lI pe n l fuel is highl y ra di oac tive and cOllt a ins ab o llt th re e tim e s the radioacti v i ty !IS f uk u s h i m a's sp e nt fuel po o l s. Sp e rit fuel ass emblies are de ns el y p acked into sev e rel y o ver-cr owd ed fu e l pool s t h nt a r e housed in t o tally u n p r ote cted metal storage buildin gs and leaking radioac liv i lY int o the H u d son. On-Sit e Waste Wh en the plant wa s firs t lic e nsed , it was wid e ly b elie v ed that the fede ra l go v ernme nt woul d op e n a n a t io nal w as t e d e p o s it o ry at Yucc a Mo u ntain. Th a t option is no longer under con side rat i on and there is no oth er repo s i tory o n t h e h o riz o n. I n dian P oin t is no w storing 1,5 00 to ns o f highly-ra.dioaclivc spcn! n ucl e ar wll ste o n-s ite, and wo u l d a dd an addi tion al 1 , 0 0 0 tons if the p l a nt is re liee nsed for another 20 years. Healt h and En v ironme nt al I mpacts: Studies h ave show n in c r e a se d rate s of cancer and o ther illnesses rel a te d to e xp os ure from p lan n ed and u nplanned r e lease s of radioactivity. Indian P oin t's once-th r ou g h cooli ng system uses 2.5 b illion ga ll o ns of wa ter a day from th e Hudson River, ser i o usl y impa c ting its st ill declining fish pop ul at io n. Evacuation i s 1mpossible: | |||
Eve n if the p o s s ibili ty of a n earthquake. | |||
a terrori 5 t attack. or a fuel p o o l fi r e or o t her ac cid ent at I n d i an P oi n l' is re m o t e, th e wnse q uen c cg of a serious problcm at Indian Poin t wo u l d b e d evastating. Ap p r o x im ate ly 2 0 m i ll io n pe o ple live o r work with i n S O miles of India n Point and t here is no e vac uatio n pl an for N ew Y o r k C i ty , W ithin m i n utes of an a cc ident or incident at India n Point, gridloc k would occur m a king ev a cu at io n i mpo,si blc Replacement En ergy is R e adily Av ailable: Nuclear powor i s being replaced by ener gy effic i e n c y nn d re n ew a bles , repowering a nd i mproved st orage and tTa n sm is sio n capab i lity. Governor Cuomo's Energy Hi g hway is cu rre n t ly is curren tl y addressin g way s to b ri ng cxc ess p o wer , including 4 ,00 0 mcg awans o f wind in th e w e ste rn p art of t h e State, to the g r ea ter NY m et ro po li ta n area. In Janu ary 2012, thc NYS A:lscm!)'y C om m i tt ee on Energy con c l u ded t h at t h ere i!< m ore th an e nough pow er to a llow I n dian Point to close without o verburden ing ratepayers or t h r e aten i n g reli ability To r elic e nse I n dia n Po i nt in its prcsont location and condition defies l o g i c. To do so is pla y in g a dang e rous ga m e o r Russi an ro u l e tte w i th our li ve s a n d fu tu r e when safer, c le aner alternatives a re im mediately a v ai l a bl e. Th a nk you for cons ide ring t hese comm e nts. Si n cerely , #.1 ') "0 f4 1-.-I., #\, Nl ccAd m i nistra tiv e J u dge L awr enc e G. McDade c/o An ne Siarnacki. | |||
Law Cl e rk; Atomic Safety and L i censing Board PRnd, Mail Stop T-3F2J U.S. Nuclea r Regul a tory C o mmiss io n , D C 2055 5-0Fax: (301) 4 15-55 99 Email: anne.siarna c k i@nrc.g pFA'" .:z V(£W Septem ber 1 S. 2012 Office o f t he Secretary , | |||
and Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nu cl e a r Regu lat ory Commission, Was hington, DC 20 5 55-0 001 Fax: (301)41 5-1101 Em ail: b£!lrin,gJLoc ker@nrc.gov I am writi n g to urge the Nuc lear Regulatory Commi ssio n to deny Enter gy's application for a 20-yc a r l icense e x t ensio n fo r th e two operati ng nucl ear reactors, IP-2 and lP-J , lIt I nd ian Point Energy f a c ility in Buch ana n , N Y. I.n dian Point is l oc ated in I.h e m ost dfl ns dy po p u l a te d r egion of t he coun try and id e ntified BS o ne of tile most dangerous nuclear plants in the natio n. acc or ding 10 the Nucle ar Reg u lat ory Commission (NRC) itself. Over the ye ars we have s erioug nuclea r accide nts at Che mobyl and Th r e e Mile {$land , a n.d mO$t recently at Pllkl1s h im a. In Aug u st 20 I I, New York ex perie nc ed t he e ffec ts of an earth qu ake, Hurricane Ire n e, and a tornado all in one week. It i s no longer p rudem t o believe that "'t c an't hap pen here." The re nrc IlHlI1y factors t hat m ak c In dia n P o i nt's relicens i ng flawed , and ma l(£! denying it imp e r a tive , i n cilldi ng: A History o f Seriou!t P rob lems: The plant has 8 h i st o ry of lTlultipl e t rn nsfo rmer explosions, a m ajo r !ltea m pipe rupt t1re , clog g ed coo lin g sy stem intakes , re p eat ed sir en f ai lures -a nd is a si tting target f or terro rism. D a ngeroll sl y over-crowded fue l po o b: T h e plant's spen! fuel is h ighly r a d i oa c tive and c ontain s about th ree t.im es fhe m dioa ct iv ity n!l Fuku shima's spe n t fuel po ols. Spen t f u cl as se mbli es are densely packe d into sever el y over-crowded fuel po ols th at are housed in to tally unprote c tod storage building s and leaking radioactivity int o th e H udson. On-S i t e Waste Storag e: When the plan t w as first l ic ensed , it was w i d ely believ e d thaI the federa l gov em ment wo uld o pen a nation al w aste dep osit o ry at Yucca Mo untain. That opt i on is n o longer under co n sideration a n d t h ere i s no o ther re posito ry on the horizon. In dian P oi nt i!: now storin g t , 500 tons of highly-radioactive lip cnt n uc l e ar w ast e on-s i te. an d w o uld ad d a.n addit ion al 1 , 0 0 0 tons if the plan t is rel i cen sed for an o ther 20 y e ar s. Health and Environmental Imp act s; Studies h ave shown increased rates of ca l lcer and ot her rela te d to ex po s u re fro m p lanne d and un pl anne d r eleas es of r a dio ac tivity. Indi a n once-thr o u gh c ooling s yste m u se!! 2.5 bi ll i on gallons of water 1\ d<ty fro m the Hudson River, seriously impacting its still declining fish populatio n . E v acuation ill Impos!Cib le: Ev en if the poss ibility of a n earthquake, a terrorist attack, or a fU0 1 pool fire or other accident at I nd ian P oinl is remo te. t h e consequences o f a ser iou s pr o blem Ilt In di a n Point w ou ld b e d evastati ng. A pproxima t ely 20 mill ion people live or w o rk wil'hin S O miles of Indian Point a nd ther e is no evacua t i on pla n for New York City. Within m inut es of a n accid ent or in c ident at In d ian Po in t , gridlock would occ ur ma k ing evacu ation im possi ble. R eplace ment E nergy is ReAd i ly Av a i lable: Nuclear power i s bein g re placed by energy effici e ncy Ilnd r e llewabJes, re pow ering nnd im proved s tor a ge and tr ansm is s ion capability. | |||
Governor Cuomo's Ene rgy High w ay is c urr e ntly is c urre nlly addressing ways to bring excess power, in c lu d ing 4.000 me gaw atts of wind i n t he west'o m pnrt of t h e S tate. to the gr eater NY metrop ol itan area. In Ja nuary 201 2 , the NYS Assembly Committee on En er gy concl uded that the re is more than enough power to allow Indian Point to close w i thoul overbu rd eni n g ratepaye rs or f hre ate nin g reliab ility sfandardg. | |||
To relicense I nd ian P o i nt i n its pres ent location and c on dition d efies l og i c. To d o so is playing a dangerous game of R uss ian rou le tte w ith 01lT lives and fu ture , when safer, cl eaner a lternati v es arc immediately ava ilable. T hank you for cons i d e ring these c omm ents. Sinc erely, . . ( rCY...-v.'"S lC,n . ,- | |||
r/: '-="(;/j' ,oe d" l'L l 1;;',( VI::::> cc: Ad min is tr a ti'v e Judg e Liiwron c J . McDade e/o An n e S ia r n a cki. L a w Clerk; A to mic S afe ty a nd Licensing Bo a rd Panel. Mail St op T*3F 23 U.S. Nuc lear Re g ula tory Commi ss i o n, Washin gton. DC 2055 5-0001 Fax: (30 1) 4 15-5599 f:mail: annc.s iarnac t d@nrc.gov Sept ember 15, 20 1 2 Office of t he Sec r et llry , R ulemaki ngs Rn d Staff , U.S. N ucle ar Reg u l ato ry C o mmisliion , Wa s hington, DC 2 0 555-000 1 Fax: (30 I) 415-1 1 0 I. Emai l: I a m wri t ing to urge t he Nu clear R egulat o ry Com missi o n to deny Enl'e rgy's R p p Ji cation for a 20-ye a r lice n se e x t e nsiofor the IWO oper atin g nuc lea r r ea ctors, IP-2 and rP-3, a t I ndian P oint Energy f ac ility in Buchanan, NY. I n dia n P o int l o ca t ed in t he m os t d e nsely po p u l a te d re gi on of the country and identified as one of the most d a ng ero u (l n ucle a r pla nin t he nnti o n, n ccord i n g to the Nuclear Regulatory Commissi o n (NRC) it se lf. Over the y e ars we h Ave wit n es s ed serionuc l ear a cci dents a t C hernoby l and T h ree Mi le r s l a nd, an d most recently at fukushima. In Augu s t 20 I I , New expe rienced the effects o f an earthq u ak e , Hurr i cane Irene, and a t Onlado al l in one week. It is no l o n ger pr ude nt b e lieve t h at " It can't h a ppcn here.IThe r e arc many facl or s fhat m a ke In d ial1 P o i nt's relic e nsi ng flawe d. and m ake de n ying il: imperativ e, inclu ding: A o f Ser io us T he plnnt has a his t ory of mUltiple trans f orm e r explosions, a mllj o r s t eam pi pe rupture, co o li ng system inl:a k os, r ep ealed siren failures -and is a sitting t a rget for terr o ris m. Dangerou s ly ov cl'-cr o w ded f uel pool s: T he plant's spent f u el i s h ig h l y radioactive an d co nt ain s a b ou t Ihre e times the m di oac t i v i ty a s F uk u sh i m a's sp ent fuel pool s. Spent flle l assemblies arc d en sely p D cked i nto se v erel y o v e r-c ro wded fu el pool s th at arc h ouse d i n to ta lly un p ro tecte d metal s t orage b uil d ings and lea king radioacfivity into the H u d son. O n-Si te W ns t e St o rag e: When the plant was first licensed, it was wid e ly bel ieved that t he fe d eral govern ment woul d open a national w ast e depository a t Yu c ca Mo u n tain. Tha t o ption is no l o nger under consid e ratio n and t h ere i s n o other r e po s it ory on I he h o rizon {ndion Point is IlOW !lt orin g 1,5 00 tons of spen t n uclear WAste o n-site, and would ad d a n a d dition a l 1,0 0 0 to ns if the plant is relicensed for another 20 Health R nd E n viron me nta l Impacts: Sludies have shown in cre ase d rates of cancer and other illne sses rela ted to exposur e from p l a n n e d Ilnd u n p l a n ned r eleases o f radio ll ctiv i ty. Indian Point's o n c e-throu g h cooling s ystem u ses 2.5 billi on g a llon s o f water a day fro m t he Hudson River, seriou s ly i mpacting its s t i ll decli n ing fish p o pulation. Ev acuation is Impossi b le; E v e n i f t he p ossibility of a n earthquak e , a te rr o ris t atmcl(, or EI f llel p ool fi r e or oth er nccide nt at I n di a n P o i nt is remot e , t he consequences of a seri o us prolJ le m a t Indi a n Point would be dev ast ati n g. Ap p roximat el y 2 0 milli o n p eop le liv e o r w o rk within 50 m ile s of Indian Po in t and there no evac u a tio n pla n f or New York C ity. W it hi n minutcs of an Ilccident or i nci dent at Indian Point, gridlock would occur making e vacuation i m po s sible. Replacement En e rgy i ll Rea dily A vaila b le: Nu c l e ar power is b e i ng replaced by energy cfficiency and re n ewa bl es, (c po wer in g a n d imp r o ved storage and trans mission ca p ability. Governor Cuomo'!) Ener gy H ig hway is curren t ly ill cu rre n tl y ad d r essin g ways to b ring exc e ss p ower , including 4 ,000 meg a wa tt s o f w i nd in th e w e st em p art ofl: hc S l8 te, t o th e g re a t er Y m e t r o polit a n ar ea. In .J a nuary 2012. th e NYS As s em b l y Comm i ttee on Ener gy co n clud ed t h at t h e r e is more tl lan enou g h po wer to allow Indian Point t o close with o ut overburden i n g ratepayer s or th re a tening re l i ab i li ty st a ndards . To re li cen se I n dian Poin t in its prescnt loc a tion and cond it ion d e fies logic. To do so is pl a yin g a d a ngerous gam e o f Rus s;an rou l ettc with our I;ves and future, whel) safer, cleaner alt e rnatives are immedia tely avail a b le. Th ank you for consid e ring t hes e com m ent!l. S incer ely, VLvr H* | |||
fAD pe'qrGY ), l'(' 1r -s(-"' c::t::c A) (I \/ tJv (0 / cc: Adm inl s trat iv e .J u dgeLaw r e nceG. McDade I (... ......, (r r lJJo/ ( cr o An ne S ia mae ki, L aw C ler k; Ato m ic Safety and Licensing B o a r d Pane l , Mail St6p T-3F23 ' U.S. Nuclear Re gu latory Co m mi$sio n , Washi n gton, DC 2055 5-Fax: (J 0 I) 4' 5*S 59 9 Email: allne.sia rn acl d@ | |||
Sept e mb er 15, 2012 Office of the Secretary, Ru l emakings and Ad jud ications Staff. U.S. N u cl e a r Re gul at o ry C o mmi ssion, Washi ngto n , DC 20 555-00 0 I F ax: (301 ) 415-1101 Emai l: | |||
I am writing to urge the Nuclear Re gulatory Commission to deny En t e r gy's application for a 20-year lic ense exte ns ion f or the two operatin g nuc l ear reactors, IP-2 and IP-3, alln d ian Poi nt E n e r gy Facility i n Buc han a n, NY In d ian Point is locat ed in th e most densel y populate d re g ion oflhe co u n try Dnd ident ifi ed as one of the m ost d a n g erou s nuclea r pl a nt s in t il e nati on, accor d ing to the Nuclea r Regula to ry Comm i ssion (NRC) itsel f. Over the y ears w e ha v e w i tne ss ed serious nuclea r ac ciden ts at C he m obyl an d T hr ee M i le (sl a nd , and most recentl y at Fuk u!l hima. In August 201 1, New York ex p erienc e d the e ffects of an c a rt l1 qua ke, HUlTieanc Irene. and a tornado all i n one week. It is no l o nge r p ru den t to bel ie v e thRt " It c an't Itappen h e re ,. There are many factors that mak e Ind ian Point's reliccnsing flawed, a nd make denying if imperative. | |||
i ncluding: A History o f Pro blems: The plant has a history of multiple t ra n sformer explosion s, a major steam pipe ru pt ure, clogg ed cooli ng system intakes, re p en t e d siren failu res | |||
* a nd is a silting t a rget for terrori sm. Dnngerou!ll y o ve r-c rowded fuel p ools: T he pla n t's s penl fuel is h i g hl y rad i oactive and co ntains about t hree ,'im c$ l hc radioa ctivity as F u ku sh ima's spe n t fue l po ols. Spent fuel are d ensel y pa c ked into s e ve re l y o v e r-c r ow ded fuel po ol s th at n re housed in tO L1l1y unp r ot ccle d meta l s tor a ge bu ildings and leak in g radi oa ct ivi ty i n to the Hud s on. On-Site Storage: When the plant was firs t lic ensed, i t wa s widely bel i eved that th o fe deral government would open a national waste depo s i t o ry at Yu c ca M o untain. That option is n o l o nge r under consi der at i on a nd lherc is n o o t h e r repository on the h or izon. In dian P o i nt is now storing 1 , 500 tons o f highly-radioactive s pent nuc l ea r W Aste o n-s i t e, and woul d ad d an additi o nal 1 , 000 tons if the pl a n t is r e lic e nsed fo r H nother 20 years. Hea lth and Environmental Imp a cts: Stud i es have s hown increased rntes of cancer and o ther iIl ness c s rela t ed to e Kp osure from p la n ned and lln p l a nned releases ofradioaetivity. | |||
India n Poinl's o n ce-through cooling s yst e m uses 2.5 b i ll ion gallons ofwnter 11 day fro m the Hud s on River, seriousl y im p acting its still po p u lation. Evacuation Impo!l,iblc; Even if the p ossi bility of an e arthquake, a terro rist attack, or a fuel poo l fi re or o th er accident at Indian Point jg remot e, t h e c ons eqL1en ces of a seri o us p roblem at Indian Poin t w o u l d be dovastating. Approximately 20 million poople live or w ork w i th i n 50 mile s ofln cJian P oin t and there i s no ev a c u ation piAn for Ne w York City. W i t h in mi n utes of a n " c cident or incident a t rndian P oi nt, gridlo c k w o uld occur m akin g evacua r.ion impossi bl e. Re p lacement Energy is Rea dily Available: | |||
Nuclear power i s being replaced by energy offi cien cy and renewables, repo w eri ng and i mpro ved s t ora g e and tra n sm issio n capability. Governor Cu o mo's Ener gy H ighw a y i s curren tly is cu rrently ways to br i n g exc ess p ower, in c lu d i ng 4,000 m ega wa tts o f w i nd in th e W Elste rn p art of the State, to the grea te r NY me tropoJ iran area. I n Janua ry 20 1 2 , the NYS A!ls e mbl y C om mi tt ee on Ener gy co n clude d t hat t here is more thl1 n enough power to allow Indian Point to close without overburdening ratepayers or th r eatening reli abil ity To relicense Indian Point i n its p res ent lo ca ti on an d c o ndition defies l ogic. To do so is pl a y in g a d a ngerous ga m e of Russian r oulette with o ur l ives an d future , when saf er. clean e r alternatives ar e immediate ly av ailable Thank y o u f or considerin g t hese comme n ts. 1)ClIlI\A...-W 5'-1 NY;YY I cc: Administrative J u d g e Law r ence G. McDade c l o Ann e Siurnac ki , L aw Clerk; Atomic Safety a nd L icens in g B oard Panel, M El il Sto p T -3F23 U.S. Nu clear Re g ulato ry Co m m ission, Washington, DC 2055 5*00 0Fa x: (30 1) 415-55 99 Ema il: 8Ilne.s i arnack i@nrc.}} |
Revision as of 22:08, 1 August 2018
ML12264A334 | |
Person / Time | |
---|---|
Site: | Indian Point ![]() |
Issue date: | 09/15/2012 |
From: | - No Known Affiliation |
To: | Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, NRC/SECY/RAS |
SECY/RAS | |
References | |
50-247-LR, 50-286-LR, ASLBP-07-858-03-LR-BD01, RAS E-1300 | |
Download: ML12264A334 (15) | |
Text
S ep tember 1 5, 2012 Office of the S ec re t ary , R u lemakin g s and Adj u dicat io ns S t a.ff , U.S. Nucle a r R egu latory Co mm ission, W a 9hi n gt on, D C 2 0 5 5 5*0 0 01 Fax: (30 I) 4 1 5-110 I Ema il: Ilearing.do c kct@n rc.g o v I am writ in g t o urge the Nuclear Regu l atory C o mmissi o n t o deny E n te rgy'9 ap p lication for a 20-yea r li cense cxt e n9ion fo r the t w o oper a t i ng nu clear reactor s, I P-2 an d lP-3, at In d ian P o int Energy Facility i n Bu ch an a n , N Y. I n d i an Poi nt is l o catcd in the mo s t de nsely pop u lat e d r egi on of t he c o untry and identi fi ed as on e of the m o st dEmg e ro u s n u c lear p la n ts in t h e natio n, acc o rdi n g to the N u c l o ar Reguln 1 0ry Commission (N R C) itself Over th e y e ars we have wi t n es sed n u c lea r accidents at C h emob yl a n d T hr ee Mile Isl a n d, an d most recen t l y a t F u kushima. In Aug u st 2 0 I I , N e w York expo r i e nccd th e eff ec t s o f an earthquake, Hurr i cane Irene, and 11 tornado al/ in one w e ek. It is no lo nger p r ude n t t o be li e ve that "It c a n't happen h ere." T h ere a re many fa ct o rs thnt m ake Indian Point's relicens in g flaw e d, and m a k e denying i t im pe ra tive, incl u d i n g: A lIistory of Se riou s Prohlems: The plant h as a history o f mUl tip l e transformer explosi o ns. 8 m a j o r !lte am p i pe ruptu r e, c l ogged c oo ling syst e m i nt a kes , repented sir en failur cs -nnd i s a si lt ing target for terr o rism. Dangerously o v er-cr o wded f uel poo ls: T he plant's sp e n t fu el is highly radioactive and co n t.ai n s abo 1l1 th re e ti m es the r a d i oa c tiv i ty as F u ku shima's spent fuel poo l s. Spent f u e l asse mb lies ar c d e nsely packed io lo s e ve re ly over-crowded fuel p o ol!! that arc housed in tota lly unprote c ted m etal s torag e build ing s and leakin g mdioactivity in t o the Hu ds o n. O n-Site Wllste Stor a g e: Wh en the p l an t was first l ice n sed, it was widely be lie v ed that t he fed eral go v ernment w o uld op en a national waste d e pos itory at Yucca M o unt a in. T hat o pti o n n o longer under con9idera t ion a n d there is no o th er reposito ry o n th e ho riz on. In d i a n Poi n t is now storing' , 50 0 t0 11 9 o f highly-radioactive sp e nt nucle a r wast e on-sit e. an d w o u ld ad d an a d d i t i o n a l 1,000 t ons if th e pl ant i s rel ice ns e d f or another 20 ye ar!'. Henlt h an d En vir o nmental Impact!!:
Studi e s have shown incre as ed r a tes o f c a ncer and other illnes s es rel n t ed to ex p osu re f r o m p l a nned nnd unpla n ned r e leas e s o f radioactivi t y. Indian P oint's once-throug h coo li n g sy s te m u s es 2.5 bi ll ion g nl1 0 ns o f wal*e r a day fr o m t h e Hudson River , ser i o u sly impacting it s still decli n i n g fi sh p o pulation. Evacuation is Im po ss ib le: Even i f t he p ossi b i l ity of nn ea rt h q u a ke, a te r rori s t a tt ack, or a fu el po o l fire or o dler ac c i den t a t I n dian P o i n t is remot e, t hc c o ns e q uenc e s ofa s erious p r oble m at Indian Point woul d be d e v a stat i ng A pproximately 20 m il li on peop le liv e or w o r k w ith i n 50 m iles oflndian Point and t here is no e va c u a t i o n pl a n f or N cw Yor k C i ty. Wi thin minll t es of an ac c ident or in ci d ent at In d ian P o i n t, gridlock would oc cu r maki ng ev acua t i o n impo s sible. Re p la c ement En er gy is R e adil y AV A ilable: Nuclear p o wer is b e ing replaced by energy e ffici e n cy and renewab les, rcpowering and i m pro ved stora g e and ca p ab ili ty. Gove rn or C uom o's E nergy H i gh w a y is currently is cllrren tly a d d r ess i n g ways to b ri ng e xce s s power, includ in g 4 , 000 me g awat t s o f wind i n th e w e ste m part o f t he St a te , to the g real e r NY mctrop o l i t a n ar e a. In January 20 ' 2, the N Y S Assembly C o mm ittee on E n er gy con c luded t hat th e re is m o re tnan enou gh power 1 0 allo w Jn d ian P o in t to close w i th o ut overbur de ning ra t ep e yers o r th r eateni n g reli a b il ity sta n dards . T o r e li censc In di an P oi nt in its pres ent l oca tion and c o nditi o n defi e s l o g ic. To do so is pl a y ing a da n gero u s g am e o f R u ssia n r oulette with o llr liv e s and f ut ur e. when sa fe r, c l eaner al temative s ar e immediately Ava i lable, Tha nk yo u for co ns i der in g these c o m me nts. Since re ly, cc: Admini s trative Ju d ge L awrence G. Mc D a de c/o A n n e S iama c k i , L aw Cl e r k; At om ic Safety nnd Li censing Board P anel, Mail Stop T -3F23 U.S. N u cl e a r R eg u lat o ry Co mmission , Was h ington. D C 205 5Fax: (30 I) 41 5-5 599 Email: alllle.!!.iarn a cki@nr c.
S cpt cHlbt:r 1 5. 2012 O ffice o f the Secretary , Ru lema kingll and AdjudicAtions Staff , U.S. N ucl ear Ro g u l a tory Commiss ion, W as hi ngton, DC 20 5 5 5-0 0 01 Fax: (3 0 1) 4 15-110 I Email: heQring.docket@
nrc.g ov r am w r iting to ur g e the Nu c lear Reg ulat ory C o mmission to de n y Entergy's application for a 20*y e af license exten sion f or t he tw o opera t i n g n ucle ar re ac tors, Ip*2 and IP-3, n t Indian Point Energy Facility in B uc ha na n, NY. J n dia n P o int is lo c at e d in (h e most de n s el y p opu la te d r e gion o f the co untry a nd i d entified as olle of t h e most dange ro u s n u cl e ar plant s in the nati o n , accordin g to t h e Nucle ar Regulatory Co m miss ion (NRC) itself. Over the year s w e hav e wi t nesse d nucl ear a c c idents at Ch ernobyl a n d Thre e Mil e I s la nd , a nd most recentl y at Fuk u shima. In Au g ust 20 1 1, New York ex.perienced th e effects of a n ea rthqua ke , H urricane I r ene , and a tomado all i n one woek. It i s n o lon ger prtt den t to b eli eve th at " It ca n't happen here." There are ma ny fac tors t hat make Indian P oin t's rclicensin g flaw ed , lind make d enying it imperative, i n cl udi ng: A Histo ry o f Se riO u!i P robl e ms: The pla n t h as a h is tory of multiple lrans fo nner explosions, a major steam pipe r upture , cl o gge d c oolin g sy stem inmk cs, repeated siren fa ilures -and is a sittin g target fo r te rr o rism. Dangerously o ver-cr o wded f uel p ools: T he plant's spen t fu el i s highly r a dioactive and co ntains about thre e times the ra.dioactivity as Fu k u s h ima's sp e nt file i poo ls. Spent f u e l assemblies ar c densely pack e d into severely over-crowded fu e l p o ols th at are ho used in to tally unp rote cted metal st orage b u i ldin gs a n d leak i ng r a dioactiv ity into the Hu ds o n. On-Site W aste St o ng e: W hen t he plant w as first it was wi d ely b elieved that t he federal g overnment would open a national waste depos itory a t Yu c ca MOlln t a i n. Th at o pt ion is n o longer u nde r con s i dera tion an d t here i s n o othe r r eposit ory on t he hor i7.on. Ind i an Poi nt is n ow storing \ , 500 tons o f highly-radi o a ctive s pe nt n uclear w 811 te o n-site, a n d would a d d an addit i onal 1,000 to ns ifth e plant is re\ic e n s ed f or anot n er 2 0 year s. H e alth and E n vironm e ntal I mpa cts: Studies have shown increa se d r a tes of cancer and ot h e r illne sses rel a ted to ex.posu re fro m plan n ed and unp l a nn ed ofradio a ctivily. Ind ian Point's once-thro u g h cooli ng sy stem us e s 2.5 b illi on g all ons o f w ater a day fro m the H ud son R.ive r , seri o u s l y impacting its still declining fish p o pUlation. Evac uatio n is Impo!lsible:
Even if t he po s sibility of an earth qu ake, a terrorist Ilttack, or a. fuel po ol fir e or o ther ac cid ent at I n di an P o i n t is remo te, t he c o ns equ e nc es of a se ri o us prob l em at I n dian Poin! wou l d be dev astati ng. A ppro xima te ly 2 0 m ill i on peo p le l ive or work within 50 miles ofIndian P oint And there is no evacuation p l a n for New Y o rk Cit)'. Wit h in minut e s of n n aecidenl or inc i d ent at Indian Point, gri d lo ck w ou ld occur makin g ev ac uat ion imp os s i b l e Rep hu:em ent Energy is Readily Av ailabl e: Nuclear power is being replaced b y energy effi c ie ncy and rencwab les, re powe rin g an d imp roved stora ge a nd tr a nsm ission ca p abilit y. Govern o r Cuom o's Energy Hig hway is c urr entl y is c u rrent l y add r ess ing w ays to br ing e xcess po wer, including 4 ,0 00 meg a wa tts of w i nd in t he wes t em p art of t h e State, to the grea ter NY metropolit a n area. In January 2012 , the NYS Assembly Committee on Energy co n clud e d tha t t he re is mo re t ha n enough po we r to allow Indi a n P o in t to c l ose without overb u rdenin g r a tep ayers or threa J enin g r e l ia bility stnnda rds. T o reli cen se Indian P o i n t in its p re s e n t loc a tion and condi t i o n l ogic. To do s o is playing a dangerous ga me o f R ussian roulette wit h our li v es and future , w hen sa fer, cleaner ar e immediately av a ila ble. Th an k y ou for considering tbese com me nts. cc: Admi n istra tiv e Ju dg e La w re nce O. McD a de c lo A nn e Siarn a cld. Law C l erk; A to mic Saf el Y and Li c ensing Hoard Panel, Mai l Stop T-3F2 3 U S. N u clear Regulal'Or)'
Co m mis!lion, Washington , DC 2 05 55-000 1 F ax: (30\) 415-5599 Email:
Scp tcmbc l I J, 2012 O ffi ce of the Secreta ry , Rulcmakings and Adjudicat io ns Staff , U.S. Nuclear R egul atory Com miss ion, W as h in gt on , DC 205 55-0 0 0 I Fax: (3 0 1) 4 15-110 1 Email:
I am writing t o urge t h e Nucl e a r Regu lat ory Co m mi!lgion to den y E nter gy's app li ca t i on for a 2 0-y eil f licen s e e x tensi on f or the TWO opera ting nu c l enr reacto rs , IP-2 and IP-3, at Ind ian Point Ene rg y F acil i ty in BUl!hanall, NY Indian P o i nt is locate d rn the most densely pop u lared re gion of the c ou n try a nd i de nt ified 3S one ofrhe most dangerous nuc lear pl n nt R in the n ation. acco r di n g to th e Nuclear Re gulat ory Co mmi ssion (NR C) itself. Over the yea r 5 we h a ve serio Lis nuclear ac ci dents al Che mob y l a nd Thr ee Mile Isl a n d, a nd m o st recently a t F u k u shim a. In August 20 11 , New Yor k experien ced t he ef f ec t s of an eart hq uake , Hurricane I r e n e. and 11 t om a do nI l in one week. It i s n o l onger prude nt to be lieve th at " It can'! ha ppen here." T her e Rre m a ny f a ctors that ma ke In d ian P o i nt's re l i c cnsing O awed, an d ma ke deny i n g i, im p erativ e, including:
A H i st ory or Seri o us P rob lems: The pl ant has a h istory of mu ltipl e t r ansformer e xplosion!!. a major sten m p i pe ru p ture. c l o gge d c oo li ng s yst em inta kes. rep e ated siren
-and is a sitting larget f o r I'crroris m. Da n ger o u sly over-cr owde d fu el pools: T he plant's s p ent f u el is hig hly r a dioactive and cont a ins about th re e l i mes the radio ac tiv ity as Fukus h ima's sp e nt fuel po ols. S p ent f ll el assem b l i es a re d e ns e l y packed in to s evere ly o ver-c r owd ed f u el p ools that IU'e ho us e d in tota lly un protected metol s tor a g e bui l dings ;, n d leaking radi o act i v i ty in l o the H u dson. O n-S it e Wa s te Storl\ge:
Wh en t he p lant was first li ce nse d, it was widel y b e lieved tll"t th e fedora I go vern ment w ould open 11 n ational waste d ep o sitory at Y uc ca M Oll ntai n, That o pt ion is no longer under c o nsideration and t h ere is no o ther re pos i t o ry o n the h orizo n. I n dia n P o int is no w storin g 1.50 0 tons o f hi g hly-r1\di oactive s pe nt nucl ea r w aste on-si te, an d wQIJl d add an additio nal 1 ,000 tons if the pla nt is reliccn s e d f o r another 2 0 ye ar" . Hel\lth anu [n vir o n m en ta ll mpllcts: St u dies have s ho wn in cr eased rate s o f ca n cer an d or he r illn esses related to e..... poslire from pl a nne d a nd unplann ed r el eases of radi oa ctiv ity In d ian once-thro ugh coo ling system lIses 2.5 billion gallons of water a day fro m Ihe H udson Ri ver, seriousl y imp ac t ing i ts st i ll d e cli n ing fish popul a t ion. Evacuation is I m p ossible: Eve n i rth e possi b il i ty o f an a t e rr or ist att El ck , or 3 fuel pool fire or other acciden t at I ndi lln P o int is re mo te , t ile con s equen ces ('If a ser i o us pro b lem at Indian Po in t would be dev astat i n g. App roxi mat e l y 2 0 million peop le live or w o rk w ithin 50 miles of India n P o in t and there is no ev acuElti on p l n n for New Yo r k City W it hin m i nutes or a n acci de nl or i ncident at I n d ian Poillt. gridlock would occur making evacu at ion imp ossible. Re p lacemen t En er gy is Re adil y A v aila ble: N ucl e ar pow er is b eing re pla ced by energ y e fficien c y a nd rene wa b les. re p o wering an d improve d storage and tr ansm issi on c apab i lity. G o vern o r Cu omo's Energy Hig b wa y is currently is currently Cld d r e5si n g ways to b r ing c)(ces s power. including 4 , 0 00 mega w atts of w ind in the w este rn p a rt o f t he r a te, to the greater N Y metropolitan area. In Janua ry 20 1 2. th e NY S Assembly Committee on Energy con clude d that ther e is more rhan enough p ow er to allow I ndian Po int t o close wi t hout ove rb urdenin g ratepayers o r thre atening reliability standards.
To relicensc Indio ll Po int in its prese nt locati o n nnd cond ition defie!i r ogic: . To do so is p l aying II dangerous ga me o f R ussian ro ul ette with our lives and future, when saf er. cle a ne r al terna ti ve s are i m medi ately avai l ab le Th a nk yo u for c onsidering these com m e n ts. cc: Adminisrrative Ju d ge Law rence G. M cDa d e clo A nne Sillrn ac ki , L aw C l erk; Atomi c S afety and L ic ens i ng Boa rd Panel , M a il Stop T-3F2 3 U.S Nu cl e ar R e gul ato ry C ommi ssion , Washingt on, DC 20 555-000 Fax: (30 I) 415-5 5 99 Em ai L Septe mber 15,2012 Office ofthe Sec retary, Ru l e makings and Adjudications S t a ff, U.S. Nuclear Regula tory Commission, Wa sh i ngton, DC 2 0 5 5 5-00 0 I Fax: (30 I) 41 5-\ 1 01 Em ai l: I am wr iting to urg e the N ucle a r Reg u lato ry Commissio n to den y Enter gy'5 application for 8 20-y e ar e xtens io n for the t w o opera1ing n uclea r reao t ors, IP-2 and rp-3, at Indi a n Point Energy Facility in Buchanan, NY. llldian Poin t is loca ted in t he most den s e ly p o p u la ted region of the country and ide nti fied as o ne of the most dan gero us n ucle a r plants in th e nation , acc or di ng t o the Nu clear Regu l at ory Commission (NRC) itself. Over the y ears w e h av e wit n esse d s e rio lls n ucle ar acci den ts nt C he moby l and T hree M ile I sl and, and m09t recently at fukushima. In August 20 I I. Now York ex perie nced the effects o f an earthqua k e, H UrT ica nc Irene, a nd a tornado all i n one week. ft is n o l o nger pru d e nt to believ e th at "It ca n't IHlppen he re." There arc m any r a c tors t h at m a ke Indi an Point's rclicensi n g flawe d. and make denying it imperati ve. i nc l u din g; A Histo ry o f Scr iou ll Probl em s: The plall t has a history of mu l tiple t r ans f o rm er explos i o ns, a maj or steam pipe rup t ure, clo gged co oli n g system intakes. r e pe a ted siren fa i/uf o s -and i, It sitting ti\fget f o r te rr orism. Dan g er ou s ly over-crow d ed fuel p ool!!: T he pl a nl.'s Spe llt fuel is highl y ra.dio a c tive and contains about th re e time s the ra di o activit y as Fu kus hima's sp e nt fue l po O!!I. S p en t fuel assemblie s a re demcl y packed i nto s ev ere ly ov e r-crowded fue l pooJs t hat are h ouse d In totnlly u np r o tected met a l s t ora ge buildi ng s and leaking radi oac tivity in t o thc Hu dson. On-Site Wftst c Storage: W hen thc p l an t was first licensed, it wid e ly be lieved that th e fede r a l go ve rnme nt would open a nat ion a l waste de po sitory at Yucca Mount a in. That opt i on is n o l o nger under consideration and there is n o oth er repos itory on t he h or i zon. I n di an P o i n t is [l OW s toring 1,500 tons of higllly-nufioacfive sp en t nuclear was t e o n-site , and would a d d an ad dit i on a l 1.000 ton s ifthe plant is reliccnsed f or another 20 yea rs. Health And Envir onmental Im p ACt'!!: Studies hav e shown increase d rafes of cancer a nd o ther illn esse s rel ated to expos u re f r om p la nned a nd un plan ned re leascs of radi o a c tivity. Indi an Point's o n ce-throu g h c o oling sys t em u scs 2.5 b illi on ga ll ons of wate r a d ay from t h e Hudson River , s e rious ly impactin g 9 ti1 1 declining fish p op ula ti o n. Ev acuation is J.mpossib l e: E vo n i f t h e po ssib ility o f an e a rt hquake, Q terrorist attack, or a fuel po ol firc or oth er accide nt at I nd ia n P oint is remot e, t h e co ns eq u ences of 0. scriou s pro ble m at Indilln P o int would b e d e v astati n g. App ro xi m a tely 2 0 million p e o ple live or w o rk within 50 mile s o frndian Poin t and t here no evacu atio n p lan fo r Ne w Yo r k C i ly. W ithin min utes of an acc iden t or i n cid e nt at (nd i a n Point gridlock would occlIr ma k ing evacuatio n imp os si bl e. R eplac e men t Ene rgy i s Rea dily Available:
N ucl e ar power is being replaced by energy effi cien cy and ren e wable s, repowc ring and i m p rove d storage a nd tr a nsm ission capability.
Governor Cuomo's Energy Hig h way is cu rre ntly is cU lTe n tl y [lddrcssing w ay s lo br i ng e xce s s power, includin g 4,000 megawalts of wind in t he western p ar t ofthe S tate, to th e grealer NY m c tro po litltn a r e a. I n J an uary 2012, the NYS Assembl y Commi tt ee on Ener gy concluded tha t th ere is more t h an enough p ower to a ll o w I nd i an P o in l l0 cl ose wit h o ut overburdeni ng or threal*e ning re li ability standards.
To rel i censc Indian P o int in its pre sen t location and conditi o n defieq logic. T o do so is plRyi n g a da ng erous gnm e o f Russi a n rou lette wi th our liv e s and future , w hen safe r, cle an e r alternatives a r c immediately a v ailable. Th ank y o u fo r consid eri ng t h ese comments. Sincerely ,
M.kLft.i("..1 Ji 1 JyK cc: A d ministr ati ve Ju dge L awre n c e G. McDade c/o Anne Siam ac k i , L aw Cl er k; Atomic Safety a nd Board Pa l\cI, Mail Stop T*3 F 2 3 U.S. Nuc le ar Regulatory Commission, W as hington , DC Fa x: (3 0 1) 415-5599 E mail: a n n c.si a m ack iC w,nr c.go Se p te m b e r 15 , 20 \2 Office of the R ulema k i n gs and Adjudications Staff , U.S. Nu clear R e g ul at ory Commi ss io n, W ash in gton , DC 20 555-0 001 F ax: (3 0 I) 415-1 tOI E m a il: h eari ng.docke r(o)nrl.:.go v r am writing to urge the Nuclear Re g ulat ory Commi ssion 10 den y E nlcrgy's a pplication for a 20-year lic e n se ex ten sion for the l WO operating nuclear reacto r s , IP-2 an d IP-3 , a 1 In d ian Po in t f nergy Facil i ty in Bu cha n a n, NY. Ind i an P o i n t is loca ted i n rh e most densel y p O fJulat ed region of the c ou ntry and iden ti fie d one orthe m o st dnnge r ous nuclear plants i n t he nation, acco ro i n g to t he Nu clea r Re g ulatory C om mi ssi o n (NR C) itself. Over the years w e ha v e wit ne sse d se ri o us nu cl ear accide nts at Chern o b yl aod Three Mi Ie Isl a n d , and m ost rec e n t ly at Fukush i ma. In Augu s t 20 I I , N e w York ex.pe rien ced t he e f fe cts of an earthq u ak.e, Hurr i c an e Irene , an d a to m ado 011 i l1 one week , It is n o l on ger prude n! to beli e v e t hai " It c an't happen here." There are many fact ors that make I lldian Poi n t's relicens in g flawed, an d de n yi ng it im p e rat i ve , in cl udi ng: A History of S erious Probl ems: T he pl an t h as a hist ory of m u ltip le transform er explosi o ns, a major ste nm pip e ru pture, c logged co ol in g sy stem int a k e s, repeated s iren (ailures -ond is a s i t li ng larget f o r terror i sm. Dan ge ro usly o v er-c r o wded fu el p ools: Th e plant.'e; s penl fllel is hi g hl y ra d ioa ctive and contains abo ut thr ee t i m e s the ra d ionctiv it y as sp ent f u e l pool s. Spe nt fuel a s sem b l i es a r e de ns el y packed into se ve rely o v er-cr ow ded f u e l poo l s th a t ar e h o use d i n totally un pro t e cted metal s to r age bu ildin gs and l eaking radioac ti vi ty in t o the Hud son. On-S ite W as te Stora.ge:
W he n t h e p lant fir s llicense d , iT was wi del y believe d that th e feder al go ve rn me nt woul d open a national waste depo s it o ry at Y U CCa Moun tain , Th a I op tio n no lon g er under co nsideration an d there is no o t he r repository on l il e h orizon Indian Po int i s no w storing 1,5 00 t ons of hig h ly-ra d ioa c tive spent nu cl ear waste on-site, and would add an additional 1,000 tons if the pla n t is f or ano ther 2 0 yea r s He n lt h and Environmcntal lmp act!l: St ud ies ha v e ifl crensed ra tes of c anc er and o t h er ill ness e s r ela t ed to e x.po s ure fro m pla nned and u npl a n ned re leases of radi o ae l ivity. I ndinn P(l i i'l l'S on c e-throu gh co oli ng system uses 2.5 bi ll ion gallo ns of w ater a day f rom the H u d s on River, serious ly imp a cting i ts sti II declining fish popUlati on, Evacuation Impossible:
Even if the possi b ility of an e art hquake, a t e rrorist attack , or a fuel p ool fir e or o ther acci d ent at Ind i an Po i nt i s re mote, the of a ser io us pr obl em a t l ndian Po i nt w o ul d be dev ast atin g. Approximat el y 20 milli on pe op le live o r work wil h in 5 0 mil e s of India l1 P oin t an d fhere is no p l an f o r New Yo r k C ity. Wi thin m in utes of ftn a cci d ent or i nc ident at In d ian Po int. g ridlock woul d occ ur ma ki n g e va cuat ion impossib le. Replacement Energy is Read il y Avail a b l e: uc\ear power is b e i ng r e p laced by eller gy e ffiC iency a nd renewables.
repowerin g an d improved storage and t:rans miss ion capab il i ty. G o vem o r Cuomo's E ner gy H ig h wfl Y is currentl y is currenLly addressing wa y s 10 br;ng excess p ow er , incl udi ng 4 ,0 00 m eg awatts of wind i n t h e we s tern pM'! of I h e Stal e , t o the gr eater Y melropol ita n ar e a , I n J a nu a ry 2012 , t he NY S Assem b ly Comm itt e e on Ener gy co n c l u d e d that t h ere is more t h a n enou g h power to allow In dian Point t o c lose WIth out o verb urde ni ng r at e payers or t h r ea ten ing relia bil ity sta.ndar ds. To rel icen se Indian Po i nt in its pr e se nt location a nd c o nditi o n defies l o g ic, To do '10 pla y in g a dangero us game of Rus s ian rou l elle w ith our lives and f u t u r e, w h en s a fer , cle aner alterna t i ves a rc av a il able. Thank you ror conside ri n g com ments. Sincerely , 0-+=\ ; L-'f'n. \.7 Q...A lr Lt7 s"\ )
I A dm inistrative Judge Lawr ence G. M c D a de c/o Anne S ianlacki, L a w Ato m ic Safely Dnd L icens in g BNtrd Pan e l , Mail SlOp T*)F 23 U.S. Nu clea r R eg ulatory Comm iss io n , W ash ingl o n, DC 20S5 5-000Fax : (301) 415-5 599 Email:
SepTember 15 , 2012 Office o f t h e Secreta ry, Rulem akin g s n nd A djudicalions S t a ff, U S Nu c leAr R e g ulatory Commission, . Wash i ngton, D C 20555-0 00 I Fax: (3 01) 4 15-I 101 E mail: llearin g.dQcket@nr c.go'v, [ a m writing t o urge th e Nuclea r Re g ulatory C ommission to deny Enlcrgy's applical io n for a 20-yea r l icense e xt e nsi oll for the tw o operat ing nu clear reac t ors, l P-2 and IP-3, at Ind ian Poin t Energy Fa c il i ty in Buchanan, :-.I Y. In diEm Po i nt i s located i n the most de nsel y p o pulat ed re gion of the counl.ry a n d iden tifi e d 8 5 o n c of the most dang erous nuclear plants in t he natio n, accord ing to the Nuclear Re g ulatory C ommi ssio n (NR C) i tself. Over the ye a r s we hav e witnessed ser i o us n u clear a ccide nt s 81 Ch emo byl and Three Mi l e lsland, and mosr recently at F ukushim a. In A u g ust 20 I I , New York ex p erie nced the effects o f an earthquake, HUITican e I rene, an d a tornado all in o nc we e k. It is no lon ger pr u den t to believe th at "It c an't happen h ere." There are many factors t h a t make In diall Point's reli cc n sing Oawed. Cl n d lTI ake denying it i mp e rative , inclu ding: A History of Serious Prob le ms: Th e p lant has a I list o ry of m Ul tiple transf o rmer a ma j or stea m pi pe ruptu r e, c logged coo ling sy stem intak e!!, repealed siren f a ilur e s -nnd is a sitting target for ferroris lTI. Da n ger ou dy over-crowded fu el pools: T h e plant's sp ent fucl i s h i g hl y rad io active co ntains about t hr e e tim es [he radioact iv ity ns F uk u sh i m Cl's spent fuel p ools. S p ent f uel a ss embllcs ar e den sely packed into o v e r-crowded fue l poo l s th a t Are Il oused i n totll il y unp ro te,ted m e{81 storage h u i ldi n gs an d le a king radioactivity inl O the Hu dson. On-Site Waste Wh en the p lan t was first l ice ns e d, it w as w i de l y believed that the f e deral go vernme n t wo ul d open a na tional was te dep osito ry at Yucca Mounta in. Tha t o ptio n is no lon ge r u n der consideration and t her e is no o th er rep os itory on t he hori zo n. In d ian Poi nt i s now storing 1 ,500 Ion s of hi gh Iy-rad l o ac t ive 'lpe nt nu cle ar wa s te on-si t e , a n d wOlild a dd an add iti ona I 1 ,00 0 to n s if t he p l ant is reli c ens ed for an o t h er 20 years. HeaU h nn d [nv i r oomental l mpacls: S tudies have shown increased r ates of cancer and O1'hc r illnes ses re l ated to ex.po3 ure fro m p l a n ne d an d u nplanned rele"ses of ra dioaer.i v i ty Indi an Point's once-through cooli ng s y stem uses 2.5 bi llio n gallons o f water a day f r om th e H ud son River , serio u s ly impaclin g i t s st i ll declining fish pop ulation. Evacuation is Impossible:
Even if t he po s sibil i ty of an enr t hquake. fI terror i s t a tt ack, or i:1 fucl poo l tire or other acci dent at In d ian Poi nl is rem ote, th e conscquences or a seri o us problem at I ndian Poin t w o u ld be dcv a stat in g. Ap pr o xim a te ly 20 m ill io n peo p l e live o r w o rk within SO mile s of Indian Po i nl and there is n o ev a c uation plan for New Y or k City. W ithi n mi n utes of 1111 acc i d e nt or inci dent I'll I n dian Poi n l. g ridlock wou ld oc c ur making e v ac uat ion impossible.
Rep lacemen t Energy is Rea di l y Ava i lable: N u cle ar power i s bein g r ep l ac ed by ener g y effi ci ency a n d rencwables, rep owering a n d i m pr oved storage an d tran smission c n p abil i ty. GOIICMlOr Cuomo's Ener gy Hig hway is c urrentl y is curre n tly addres sing ways t o bring excess pow e r, inc l uding 4,0 00 m eg awatts o f w i ud in the western p a rt of t h e State , to the gr ear.er NY metr o p olitan ar ca. ln January 20 \2, the NYS Ass e mbly C o m m ittee on En er gy conclu ded t h at there is /11ore tha n en ough power t o a ll ow I ndian Poinl t o clo$c withoul over b ur d enin g ralepay ers or t h reaTening reli abili ty s tandards To relic cll s c In dian Po i n t in lIs presenl l o eCltian and condi tion dei i es lo gic To do so is playing fl dan gerous g a me of Ru s sian roulette with ou r lives and futu re , wh en sa f e r, cleaner allern at ives arc immediately av a i l ab le T h ank y ou for co n side ring Ihest;; co mments. S i necreIY, <<&??<_. (J..o -:-/D I L * ) /7 S RJ7/c ,&-/C T t II..-(r,jV L. / .( r AJ.:PO eP OJ., S' r .!!T-a: rK /tJ V , A dminis t r a tive J ud g e LClwrence G. McDnde c/o A n ne Si!l.rna ck i, Law Clerk; Ato mic Sa fety and Li ce ns ing B o ard Prl n e l, Ma il SlOp T -3F2 :l U.S. Nucl ear R egulatory Commi9s ion, Washington , DC 2 0555-000FilX: pO \) 41 5-5 599 E mail : i!ll!l O!flJ.naci< i (@l[<.!..
September 15 , 2012 Officc o f t he Secretary, Rule m a ki n g s and Adjudications Stnff , U ,S. N u cl ear R eg ulatory Commission, Washingto n , DC 20555-0 0 01 Fax: (30 I) 4 15-110 I Emai l: hearin g.d, o c ke!@nrc.go v I am writi n g to urg e the N uc l ear Re gu l atory Commissio n to den y E nter gy's applicntion fo r a 20-ye ar li cense exte nsion For the tw o operating nuclear react o rs, IP-2 and IP-3. at Indian Point Energy Facility i n Bucha n an, NY. I n d i an Poi n t is located in th e m os t de n sel y popu lated re gion of the country and ident i fied one of the most danger ous n uc lear p lan ts i n th e n atio n , Acc o rdin g t o the N u cl ear Regulatory Com m issi on (N RC) itse l f. Over the years we hAve witnessed serious nuclear accide nts at Chcm ob yl an d T hree Mile Island , and most recently a t Fukushima, In Aug us t 20 11, Ne w York ex p erie nc ed the e ff e cts of a n earthquak e , H urri cane Irene, a nd f\ t ornado all ill one week. It is n o l ong e r pr udent t o belie ve tha t li n ca n't hR p p en here." Th er e a re man y f a ct ors tha t make [ndi a n Point's relic e nsin g flawed, and make denying it imperati v e , includin g: A His tory o f Se riou s Problem s: Thc p lll n t has a history of multip l e transformer exp l osi ons, a m ajor st ea m pipe ruptu re, clo gged cooling syst em in ta k o s, rcpea ted s i ren failures -and is a silting t a rget for telTo r ism. Dang ero u sl y o ver-crowde d f uel pool!'!: T he plant's spe n t fue l is highly ra d i oac t ive and contAins abo ll t three limes the ra d io activ ity as Fuk ush ima.'s spent fuel p o ols , Sp ent fuel a ssemb lie s are densely packed int o s eve rely over , crowded fuel p oo ls th at are hou sed i n tot all y u npro tected me tal storag e buildin gs and leaking radioactivily in to th e Hudso n. On-Site W aste Storage; When the pl a nt was firs t li cen s ed, it was widely believ ed that the f ed e r al government wou l d op en a na tio nal waste depo si tory a t Yucca Mountain T ha t option is no longe r under considemtion and t h ere n o other repo s itory on the h orizon. I ndia n Point i s n ow storing 1 ,50 0 tons ofhighlY-Tadioactive nuclear WAste a nd wo u ld ad d an ad d iti on al 1, 000 tons if the plant is relicensed for another 20 year s. He alth lin d E n v ironm ent llllm pact8: Srudi c!I hllve s hown increased rates of cancer and o ther illn e sses related to exp os ure f rom pl anned Ilnd u np l a nne d releas e s of radioactiv i ty. Indian Point's once-through cooling system uses 2.5 billion ga ll ons of wat er a day from the Hu ds on Ri v er, serio u s ly im p acting its still declinin g fish p o pulatio n , Evacliati o n i ll Impossible:
Ev e n if th e p ossibility of an earthquake, 11 terrorist attack, 0 1' a fuel pool firo or other acc i den t at J ndian P oint is rem ote , the co nse<J uences of a serious problem at I ndia n Point would be devastatin g, App roxima t el y 20 m il lion peop l e live or work wi th in 50 miles o flndian Point Hnd there n o eVAcuati o n plan for New York Ci ty. W ithin minutes of an ac ci de nt or inc i dent at Ind i.a n Poi nt , gridlock would occur m aking evac ua ti on im poss ible. RcplR cemen t En ergy is R ea dily AVAilable:
N uclear p ower is being replaced by energy efficiency a nd re p owering an d im proved storage a nd tran s mission capab i l ity. Governor Cuomo's Ener gy High w ay is currently is cu rre nl!y a dd ressing w ays to bring exc e ss pow e r , including 4 , 000 m eg awatt s of wind in the western p Hrt ofth e State, to the g r eat e r NY me tr opo lit an ar el\. In J a nuary 2012, t he NYS Assembly C o mmittee on Energy conclu d ed t hat there is m o re t han e noug h power to allow Indian P oi nt to close without overburdening ratepayers or threatening reliabil ity s tandards. To rel ic ense In dian P o in t in i ts present locatio n an d condition defies l og ic. T o do so IS pl a yin g a dan gero us game of Rus sian roule tt e with o u r Jives and future , when safer, cleaner alternative s arc i m m ediatel y avail able. Tha nk y o u f o r consideri n g Ihese com ments. Sincerely , )J(au IdA /0 W ....../'s...k. Administrative .Iu dg e Lawrence G. McD a de c/o A nne S;amacki, Law C l er k; At o mic Safety Ilnd Licensing Board Pnrlei , M a il Stop T-3F23* U , S, N u clear Regulatory C om m i ssion, Washington , DC 2055 5-0001 Pax: (30 1) 415-559 9 Sm a i l: an n c. s;arnac k i@n r c , go v Sept e mber 15,20 1 2 O ffi ce of the S ecre tary, Rule ma kings a nd Adjudications Staff. U.S. N u clear R eg ulatory Commission,'
WllShington , DC 20555 -0 00Pa x: (301 ) 41 5-1 1 01 Em ail: I am writ ing to urge the N u cl ear Re g ulato ry to d eny E ntergy's application for a 20.year l ic ense extension for til e t w o oper ating n uc le ar rea c tors, IP-2 a nd IP-3 , at Indian P oint Energy Faci l ity in Buchanan, NY. Indian Point is lo cated in thc most d enso l y populated rcgion ofthe cou nt ry and identified as o n e of the mos t da ngero us n ucle a r plants in thc na tion, according to the Nuclear R egu l ato ry Commission (NRC) itself. Over the ye ars we h ave witn es s ed seriou s n u cl ear a cc i dents at Chem obyl a nd T hree Mile Islnnd, aod m o st recently at Fukushima. III Augu$( 20 11, New Yo r k expe rie nced th c e f f ects o f an ea rt h q ua ke , Hurricane Tre ne. and a tornado a ll in one week. It is no lo nger prudent to believe thllt "It ca n't h app e n he re." T here a re m an y factors tha t make lndian Point's relicen!lin g flawed, and make d enying it imper rr tiv c , i n cluding; A Hi!lt o ry of Se ri o u!I Problem s: The plont has a history of multiple transfonn e l' explosions, a m a jor ste am pip e ru p ture , cl o gg ed cooling sy s tem intak e s , r e peat e d siren fa i l u res -a n d i 9 a sil1ins target for terrorism. Dan g crou!lly ove.....c rowde d fu el pools: T h e plant's spent fue l is highly rndioactive and contains ab o ut t hr ee time s the rad io ac tivity as s pent fuel p o ols. Spent fu e l assembli es a re dcnsely packed into soverely ov e r-crowde d fue l p o ols that R re hou!lcd in totally unprote c f'ed metal storage bui l di ngs Bnd leaking radio activi ty into t he Hu d son. On-S ite Wa.'1te StorAge: When t he pl ant was first licensed, it was widely b e lieved tha.t 'he fed eral govemme nt would o pen a natio nal waste de po sito ry a t Yucca Mou nt ai n. That option is no longer under co ns iderati on nnd there i s no oth er repo sitory 011 t h e ho ri zo n. In dia n Po i n t is now storing 1 ,500 toos of hi gh ly-radioact i ve spent nucl ear was te on-site , IlI1d wo u ld ad d an 1.000 I ons i f the plant relicensed for another 20 years . Hea llh and Environmental Impacts: Studi e s have shown increased ra te s of cancer and othe r il ln ess e s relate d t o e xpos u re fr om p lann e d and u nplanned relell.90 S o f radioactivity.
Indian P o int's once-throu gh coolin g sy ste m u scs 2.5 bi llion g allon s of wate r E\ day fro m th e Hudson River, se riously impacti n g its still declining fi s h popu l ation. EVAc uation i s Imp oss ible: Even if t he possibility of an earthquake, a terrori,t a n ack, or a fuel po o l fire or ot h er a cc iden t at J n di an Point i s rem ote, t he consequenccs of a seri o us p ro blem at Indi an Point woul d be devas l*a ting. Approxima te ly 20 million p eople live or work within 50 mile s of India.n Point and there is no evacuati o n pla n f o r New Yor k City. Wi th i n min u tes o f an acci d ent or i ncid ent al Indian Point, gridlock would oCCu r mak ing e vacuation impossi bl e. Replacement Energy is RC Rdily Available:
Nucl ea r power is being replRc e d by energy e ffici ency and r c newa bles, re p ower in g an d im p roved sto m ge and transm is si o n cap a.bility. Oove m or Cuom o'!! Hner S}' H ig hway is curr e n tly i s c urre ntl y ad d r essi ng wny s t o b ri n g cxcess power, includ i ng 4 ,000 megawatts of w ind in the west e rn part of the State (0 the greater NY metro p ol it an a r e a. In J an u a ry 2 012 , the NYS Assembly Commi tt ee on Ener gy conclu d e d th at th e re is more than cnough pow er t o allow In d ian Point t o cl ose witho u t ove r bu rdening ratepayers or thre a t ening rel i ab i lity standa rds. To relicensc In dian P oint in its present l oca ti o n and c o ndition dcfie s logic , To do so pl ay ing a da n gerous game of Russinn roulette wi t h our liv es and f uture, wi len safer, c leane r a l tcrnatives are imme di ately availa b le. Thank yo u for consid e ri n g th ese comm e nts. Si ncerel y , Ifll I \)\ (l..-tL.. tLl I Adminis trat i ve J udge Lawrence G. M cDa de c l o An ne Sia ma cki, L a w Clerk; Atomic Safety an d Licensing Board Panel , Ma i l Stop T-3F23 U.S. Nu c l e ar Re gul a tory Commis s ion; Washington, DC 20555*0001 Fax; (3 01) 4 15-5599 E mail:
Se pte m ber 15,2012 Offi ce of th e Se crctary , Rul em a kings a nd Adjudication s S t aff, U.S. N uc le ar R eg u l a to ry Commissi o n, Washin gt on , DC 2055 5-0001 Fax: (3 0 1) 415-110 1 E m a il: b, caring.dqck c l@nrc.g ov I am writing to u rge the Nuclear Regul atory Co mm issi on t o de ny E nt o rgy's application for a 20-year li ce nse exten s io n for the tw o oper at ing nuclear reac to rs, and IP-3. at Indian P oi n t En ergy F acility in Buc ha nan, NY. Indi a n Po i nt is loc ate d in t h e most dengcly populat ed reg ion of the c ou n t ry an d id e nti fi ed 8 S one of the m ost da ng e ro us n uclear pl ants in t h e nation, ac co rding t o t h e Nu c lc ar Re g ula to ry C o m miss io n (NRC) i ts e lf. Over the yeaTS w e ha ve w i tne ssed se r i ous nu cl e ar accidents at Chemo b yl a n d T h re e M ile Islnnd , and most rece nt ly at f uku sh ima. In August 2 0 11, Ne w Y o rk e xper i e n ced th e e ff ects o f a n e art hqu a ke, H u rrica n e 'r e ne, and a to rna d o a ll in on e week. It is no lo nger prudcnl to b el i eve th at "It can't h appen h ere." T h ere arc m an y fa ct ors that m a ke Ind i an Po in t's rclic e n s i ng flawed, nnd de nying it imperati ve, includi n g: A Histo ry o f S erious Proble ms: Th o p l ant h ll H a hi sto ry o f mU l t iple tr a nsform er explo s i ons. 8 ma jor steam pip e ru p t ure, clo gged c oo ling syste m in t a k es, re peal ed siren failures -a n d is a si tti n g target for t e rrorism. D Ro gcro usly fuel poo ls: T he p l ant's spent f'\l el i s hi g bl y radio active and c ontai n s about three ti mes the ro dio ac ti vi ty as FlIkushima's s p ent fuel p ool s. S p ent fuel a sse mbl ie!l are densel y p a ck ed i n to se ve rely over-crow ded fue l p oo l s that arc housed in t ota lly un p r o t ect e d metal sto r ag e buildings and lea k ing rad io<l c tivi ty into th e Huds on.
W a s t e St orage: Wh en the pl a nt was firsllice ns ed , it was w id e l y belic ved that the feder al g o v e m m ent w o u ld ope n a nationa l wasle depository At Yuc c a. M ountain. T h a t option is no lo ng er u n d er con s i d e r a tion and t here is no o l'h e r repo si to ry o n I h c horizon. In d i all P o int is no w sto ring' , 50 0 to n s of hi gh l y-radi o active nuc le a r waste on-site , and wou l d add an additional r ,000 I o ns if the plant is re lic ensed fo r an oth er 20 years. Health and Environmental Stud ies have s h o w n i n crease d r ates of canc er an d othe r i llne sses r eln ted to ox posure from planned and unpl<lnned releas e s o f radioacti v i ty. I nd ian o n c e-thro u gh c ooli ng system u s es 2.5 b illion gallons o f water 11 day from the H ud so n Ri ver, s eri ollsl y im pac ting its s t ill declini n g fi sh pop u l a t ion. \:v ll c unt ion i!l l mpossi ble: Ev e n if the po!ls ibilily o f an e a rt hquake, 8 terr o risl att a ck , or a f ue l p o ol fi re o r oth er acc i dent at Indi a n P o i nt is remote , the co nse q u en ces o f a se r i ous p ro ol cm a l (ndian Poin t wo u l d b e d e v astating. A p proximate ly 20 m illion people live o r work with in 5 0 miles of Indian Poi n t an d there ill n o eva c uation pl an f o l' New York C ity. W ithin m inutes of an accide nt or incident at In d in n Po int, gr i d l o ck w ou ld occ u r ma king evac u a tion i m p os sible. Repll,cemcnt Ene rror is R eadily AVA i I R b l e: N ucle ar p ow e r is bei n g re plac ed b y energy e ffici e ncy and re n ewablcg, re powering ond i m p r oved st o rage an d tran sm i!l s ion capabil i ty. G overnor Cuom o's Ener gy H ighway is c urrently is c u rre ntly addressing ways to bring e xc ess p ow e r, i ncl ud in g 4 , 0 00 m e g awatts of w i nd in th e w est e rn p a rt o f I'h e State, to thc gr eater NY me tropolitan area. In January 2012, the N YS Asse mb ly C o mmi tt ee on En ergy c o n c lude d t h at t here is more t h an enou gh power to allow fndia n Poi nt to close w i t h ou t ove rbu r deni n g r a te pa yers or rhrea fening r cl ia h ililY standa rds T o r elice ns e Jn dia n P oin t in i ts p rese nt lo c a t i on an d con di t i on d efies lo g ic. To do i s play i ng a dang e rous g a me of R ussian roulette with o u r Jives a n d fut u r e, w h e n s af e r , clea n er alternati v es nrc im mediat el y available.
Th ank you for c onsidering these comments. Cft,--J.I e ,e.ING -P h, n r, f-L/0 L)) po .1?J
- w. L th.re.hCA..rY1 VI1 !I"t 0 61_5' 1 C:. cc: Ad m inistrative .Iud g e L awre nce G. M c D a de c/o Anne Siama cki , Law C le r1<; Atomic Safely and Licensin g B oard P a nel , M ail Stop T-3 F 23 U.S. Nuclear Regu l atory Co mmissio n, Wa s hington, DC 2 05 55-0F ax: (301) 415-5 5 9 9 Email:
Sep tembe r 15 ,20 12 O ffiee o f t he Sec ret a ry, Rule maki n gs and Adjudication s Sta ff, U.S. N u clear R e g ulatory C o m m is s ion , W as h in gt o n, DC 20 555-000 1 Fax: (3 0') 415-1101 Email: , am writ ing to u r ge the N u cle ar Reg ulat o ry Commission to d eny npplicati o n f or a 2 0-ycar licc n!>c exte ns ion for t h e two oper ati n g nuc lear rea cto r s, IP-2 and JP-3 , a t Indian Point Ener gy Facility in Bu ch anan, NY. I n dian P oi nt is loca t e d in the most d ense ly popula ted region of the cou nt ry and identified a s o n e of the m ost dangerous nu clea r pl an ts in t h e na t i on, ac cor ding 1'0 t he Nu clear Regulatory Commission (NRC) itse lf. O v er the years w e have seri o us nuclear accidonts at C he mobyl a nd T h r ee Mi l e Tsland. a n.d mos t recen tly at F ukushim a. Tn Au gust 20 1 1, Now York e xpe rio n ced t he e ff ec ts of a n ea rth quake, Hurrica"e Irene, a n d 0 torna d o a ll in one week. It is no lo nger prudc n! to b o liov e that "It can't h ap p en h e re." T h e r e II r c many factors that mak e I ndia o Poi n t's re l ic en s ing flaw ed , and mft ke denying it imperativ e, inc l uding: A Histo ry of Se r i ous T h e plant has II his tory o f m ultipl e tr a ns form er expl os ion s , II m ajor steam pip e r llp tu r e , clogged c o o l ing system i n t a k es , rep ea t e d sire n fa ilures -and is a sitti n g targot fo r t e rrorism. D a ngerou s ly over-crowde d fuel pools: T hc plant's spent fu el is hi g hly r a dioactive an d co nta ins a bou t three ti me s the ra dioactivity a s spent fuel pools. S pent f u cl asge m blie s a.r e de ns el y p a cke d int o se ve rely ove r-crowd e<l fuel poolg that are h o used in \'ol:ally unprotected me t al storagc b ui l di ngs an d leaking r ad ioa ct iv i ty into the Hudson. On-Site Waste Stornge: When the p lant was first it wa s w idely be li ev ed thn t t h e fe der al governm e n t wou ld open a na t i o nal was te deposit ory at Yucca Mo untain. Tha t opti on i s n o lo n g er u nde r co n s idera l ion and thc re is no othe r rep ository o n the h o rim n. In d i a n Poi nt i s now stori ng 1 ,500 tons of spent nu cleAr waste on-s i te., an d w o uld a d d an additi onal 1, 00 0 to ns if t he p l an t ill reliccnsod for another 20 y e ars. Health and Environme ntal Impacts; h ave show n incr ea s e d rates of c a nc er an d o t h cr illn esse s rela t ed to ex p o s ure fro m pla nned and un p l nn ned r e l c ases of ra d io a ctivi ty. Tn d ian Po int's onc e-thro ugh c o ol i ng syste m u s es 2.5 bi ll ion gall ons of water a day fr o m the Hu d so n Rj v or , se riously impactin g stil l dec li ni ng fi s h popu lat i on Evacuation is Impossible:
E ven j f the po s si b il ity of an e a rt h q uake. II te rrorist Att a c k, or a fu e l pool fire or other accident at India n Po i n t is remote, the c onseque nces of a s erious p rob lem at In d i an P o int w ou l d be d evastating. Approximately 2 0 m il l i o n peo ple liv e or work w i th i n 50 m iles o fr n dian P oint and ther e is n o e v acuation pl an for N e w York City. Wit hin min ulcg of a n ac cident or incide n t nt I n d ian Po i n t, gridlock would occ ur making evacu at ion imposs ible. Re plac e ment En e rgy is Rea dily Available:
Nuc l ear power is being repl a ced by energy efficiency a nd ren e w ables, repow ering and im proved storage a n d tran s m is s ion capabil il Y. Govern or C u o m o's Ener gy H i ghway i s curre n tly is curr antly ad dressing w a y s to b r in g ex c e ss p ow e r, incl uding 4 ,000 me ga watts of wind in t h e western pa rt of t h e S tate , t o f he greate r N Y metro p olitan Rren. In J a nua ry 2012 , the NYS Asse m b l y C ommitt ee on Ene rgy conclu ded that th er e i9 m ore thlln enough p o w er to allo w Tnd ian P oint to close with o ut o vcrburd e ni ng ratepayer s or thr e ate n ing relia bility standards.
To r e Jicellse Indill n P o int in its prese nt lo cal:i on an d condi t i o n de fie s log i c. T o do so is pl ay ing a d angerous gam e o f Russian rOllle tte witl\ our liv es and r u tur e , when safer, clean e r alternatives are imm ediRt e l y avnilable.
Th ank you for considering these comm ents /,;1 G I?d.Sincerely ,
6.J .
\, ttY>1 11M o ...s.76 Ad min istrative J ud gc r..awrence G. M cD ad e c/o A n n e Siamacki, Law Cle r k; A t omi c Safety and Lice n sing Board P ane l , Mai l Stop T-3F 23 U.S. N uclear Regulatory Commiss io n , W as hington, DC 2055 5-0Fax: pO I) 415-5599 Em a il:
Se p t e mber 15 , 2012 O ffi ce of the Se c reta ry, and Adjudicat i ons Staff, U , S, N ucl e a r R e g u l at ory Commissi on, W ashin gt o n , D C 20 5 55-0 001 F!IX: (3 0 I ) 4 J 5-1 J 0 1 Email; h co.ring. do c kel@nr c , gov 1 am w rit ing to urge t he Nu clear R e gulatory Commi ss io n t o deny E ntergy's ap p lication for a 20-y e a r license e xt'cosio n f or t he tw o o pe mt i n g n u c l e a r react o rs, IP-2 a n d TP-3. al' Indian Poin t E ner gy Facility in B uc hana n. NY, Indi an P o in t i s loc a ted in t h e m os t de nsel y po pu la ted region of the co untry and ide nt i fi ed as one o f Ihe most dan ge ro u s n u clo ar plants in th e nat ion, ac co rdi n g to the N u c l e ar Re g u l alOry Commission (NR C) its elf. Over the year s w e h a ve wit n essed serious n ncl ear accid en ts at Ch e mo by l and Thr ee Mi le [sland, and m ost recently at Fukushim a , In A u g u st 20 I I , Ne w Yor k experienc e d the e ff e cf s of a n earthquake, H urr icane I re n e , a nd a tornado a ll i ll one wee k. It i s no l o nger pru de nt t o beli e v e that "I t can't hap pe n here." There a rc m any fa ctor s t h aI m a ke In d i an P o int's r elicellsin g fl awed, and mak e denyin g il i mp erati v e, i n cluding: A Histo ry o f S e r ious Pro bl ems: The p l an t ha s a hi s tory of multipl e transfo r mer explosions.
a m aj or st eam pi pe ru pt u r e , cl ogged co o ling sY!lte m in t H k es, r e p eated siren f a il ures -an d i s a si tti ng tA r get f or te rr Ol;s m. D ange rousl y over-c rowde d fu e l pools; T h e planl 's s pent fue l is hi g h l y radioactive and con t ain s abo u t t h ree ti mes t h e ra d i o activi ty B9 Fu k u s hi ma's 'lp e nt fu el pool s. S pen t fuel assemblie s are densely packed into severely o v e r-cr o wde d f uol p ools t ha I ar c house d i n tota lly u np r o t ect e d metal s t o rage buildin g s and lenkin g ra d ioactivity i n t o t he H u d son. On-Sil e Waste Sto ra ge: W he n the pl a n t was firs t licensed , it was w i del y belie v ed that t he fed eral g ov ern m e n t wo u l d op en H nati o nal waste de po s i to ry at Y L1 c c a Mountai n. T h at o p t ion is n o longer unde r col1!l i d era tio n a n d t h e re i s no o t h er rep osit ory on th e horizo n. Indi a n P oiot is now sloring 1.50 0 tons of hi g hl y-radioa ct ive s p e ot nuclear waste on-si te. and wo u ld a d d a n "ddi t io na l I , 000 t o n s if th e p hm t i s relicenscd for an o ther 20 ye ars. Heal t h and E n vironmen tlll l m pa ct'S: S tu dies h a v e sho w n increase d r a tes of cancer a nd o t h er illnes s c s rel a ted t o ex p o s ure fr om p l a nn ed and unp l an ned rele ases o f rad i o activi t y. Indian Point's once-thro u gh c o ol i n g sy ste m u se s 2, 5 nitli on g a ll ons o fw ato r a d ay fr om the Hudson River. seriously i mp a ct i ng its still declinin g fis h po pulati on, Eva c uat ion i s I mpo s sible; Ev en i f the p os s ibility o f an eart h q uake. a Icrror i sl attack, or a fuel p o ol fire o r o t h er accident at I n d i a n Poi n t is remot e , the c o n se quences or a serious problem at I ndian Point would be devastatin
- g. Appr ox ima tely 2 0 milli on pe o ple live O r work w i thin 5 0 m ile s of rn d ian Po int and there is no o v a c ua t ion p lan for New Yo rk City. W i t h i n mi nu te s of an ac c ident or inci d ent a t Indian Poin t. gridlocl-; would oc<:u r mak ing ev ac ua t i o n imp o s s i b le , Re p la c ement Energy lS Readily Avai lable: N uclear po w er is being replnced by energy effi c iency an d r e n ewa bl e s, r c pow erin g and improved sto ra g e an d t ran sm i ss ion c a pa b ility , G ove rno r Cu om o's E ner gy H ig hwa y ig cu r re nt ly is c urrent ly address in g way s to b r i n g exce s s po w er, incl ud in g 4 , 0 00 meg a wa lts o f w i nd in tile w e s te rn pa rt o f the St a le, t o t h e gr e a te r NY metrop olita n ar e a , I n Jan u u ry 2 01 2 , fhe NY S As se m b ly C o mmi t tee on En er gy c oncl u de d t ha t th ere is m o r e t ha n enou gh pow er to a llow Indi a n P o in t to c l ose w it hout over b ur d enin g ratepayc ..or th reate n ing re l ia b i l ity slan d ards. T o r el ic e n s c I n di an Poi n t in it s pre sc nf locati o n an d condition defies lo g ic. To do so i s p lay in g a da ngero us gi\m e of R u ssian rOlllett e w it h our liv es an d fu t ure , when s afer, cl eane r alternatives are im med iate ly available. Th ank y o u fo t considerin g t hese c o mments , Si n cerel y, cc: A dministrativ e Ju dg e La wrence G. McDade e/o An ne S i amac k i, la w C)*rk; At o mic Sa f ety and Li cen s i ng B oar d P a nel. Ma i l SI'OP T-3 FU.S, Nu cloa r R o g u l at o ry C o m m is s ion, W a shingt on , DC 2 05 5 5-F R X: (30 I) 415-5 599 E ma il: annc.siarnac k i@nr c.
Se p te m ber t S, 2012 Office of t he Se cre tary , Ru lemak iJlgs and Adjudicati o ns St a ff , US. N uc l c a r R e gula t o ry Commi s sio n , Was h i ngto n, D C 2055 5-0 0 0 1 Fax: (3 0 1) 4 1 5-110 I E mail: hca ring.do c ke t@nrc.go v I am wr i t in g t o ur ge t he N ucl ea r R e gul a tory Commission to deny Enter gy's a p plication for a 20-year li cen e extensi o n fo r th o tw o o p erating nu cle a r re act ors, IP-2 and IP-3, at Indian P oint Energy Facility in Bu ch an an, NY. In dian Poi nt is lo cate d i n the most densely populated r egi on of the country and idenl-ifi ed as one of th e m ost da n g e rous nu c lea r pla n ts in the na io n, accor d i ng to the Nuc l ear Regulatory Commission (NRC) itsel f O ve r thc y ears we h ave w i tnessed serious nuclear ac ci de nts at Chem ob y l and Three Mile Island, and mo st rece n tl y at F u ku shima. In August 2 011 , N e w Y ork oxpc ri e nced t he e ff e c t s Of M ea rth q u ake, Hun-ieane f ren e. and a torna do a ll in one week. It is no longer p rudent t o b elieve th at " It can't h app cn he r e." Th ere a r e many f ac to rs t hat mak e Indian Point's relice ns ing flawed. and m a k e denying it i m perat i v e, inc l uding: A Hi!ltory o f' S eri ous Pro blem9! T he plant has a history of multiple tra nsf onner explosions. a major s tea m pipe r u ptu re , c logg ed c ooling system intak es. rep e a ted siren fa il urell -and is II s i tt ing target f o r t e rr orism.
over-c rowde d fu el pools: T h e plant's lI pe n l fuel is highl y ra di oac tive and cOllt a ins ab o llt th re e tim e s the radioacti v i ty !IS f uk u s h i m a's sp e nt fuel po o l s. Sp e rit fuel ass emblies are de ns el y p acked into sev e rel y o ver-cr owd ed fu e l pool s t h nt a r e housed in t o tally u n p r ote cted metal storage buildin gs and leaking radioac liv i lY int o the H u d son. On-Sit e Waste Wh en the plant wa s firs t lic e nsed , it was wid e ly b elie v ed that the fede ra l go v ernme nt woul d op e n a n a t io nal w as t e d e p o s it o ry at Yucc a Mo u ntain. Th a t option is no longer under con side rat i on and there is no oth er repo s i tory o n t h e h o riz o n. I n dian P oin t is no w storing 1,5 00 to ns o f highly-ra.dioaclivc spcn! n ucl e ar wll ste o n-s ite, and wo u l d a dd an addi tion al 1 , 0 0 0 tons if the p l a nt is re liee nsed for another 20 years. Healt h and En v ironme nt al I mpacts: Studies h ave show n in c r e a se d rate s of cancer and o ther illnesses rel a te d to e xp os ure from p lan n ed and u nplanned r e lease s of radioactivity. Indian P oin t's once-th r ou g h cooli ng system uses 2.5 b illion ga ll o ns of wa ter a day from th e Hudson River, ser i o usl y impa c ting its st ill declining fish pop ul at io n. Evacuation i s 1mpossible:
Eve n if the p o s s ibili ty of a n earthquake.
a terrori 5 t attack. or a fuel p o o l fi r e or o t her ac cid ent at I n d i an P oi n l' is re m o t e, th e wnse q uen c cg of a serious problcm at Indian Poin t wo u l d b e d evastating. Ap p r o x im ate ly 2 0 m i ll io n pe o ple live o r work with i n S O miles of India n Point and t here is no e vac uatio n pl an for N ew Y o r k C i ty , W ithin m i n utes of an a cc ident or incident at India n Point, gridloc k would occur m a king ev a cu at io n i mpo,si blc Replacement En ergy is R e adily Av ailable: Nuclear powor i s being replaced by ener gy effic i e n c y nn d re n ew a bles , repowering a nd i mproved st orage and tTa n sm is sio n capab i lity. Governor Cuomo's Energy Hi g hway is cu rre n t ly is curren tl y addressin g way s to b ri ng cxc ess p o wer , including 4 ,00 0 mcg awans o f wind in th e w e ste rn p art of t h e State, to the g r ea ter NY m et ro po li ta n area. In Janu ary 2012, thc NYS A:lscm!)'y C om m i tt ee on Energy con c l u ded t h at t h ere i!< m ore th an e nough pow er to a llow I n dian Point to close without o verburden ing ratepayers or t h r e aten i n g reli ability To r elic e nse I n dia n Po i nt in its prcsont location and condition defies l o g i c. To do so is pla y in g a dang e rous ga m e o r Russi an ro u l e tte w i th our li ve s a n d fu tu r e when safer, c le aner alternatives a re im mediately a v ai l a bl e. Th a nk you for cons ide ring t hese comm e nts. Si n cerely , #.1 ') "0 f4 1-.-I., #\, Nl ccAd m i nistra tiv e J u dge L awr enc e G. McDade c/o An ne Siarnacki.
Law Cl e rk; Atomic Safety and L i censing Board PRnd, Mail Stop T-3F2J U.S. Nuclea r Regul a tory C o mmiss io n , D C 2055 5-0Fax: (301) 4 15-55 99 Email: anne.siarna c k i@nrc.g pFA'" .:z V(£W Septem ber 1 S. 2012 Office o f t he Secretary ,
and Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nu cl e a r Regu lat ory Commission, Was hington, DC 20 5 55-0 001 Fax: (301)41 5-1101 Em ail: b£!lrin,gJLoc ker@nrc.gov I am writi n g to urge the Nuc lear Regulatory Commi ssio n to deny Enter gy's application for a 20-yc a r l icense e x t ensio n fo r th e two operati ng nucl ear reactors, IP-2 and lP-J , lIt I nd ian Point Energy f a c ility in Buch ana n , N Y. I.n dian Point is l oc ated in I.h e m ost dfl ns dy po p u l a te d r egion of t he coun try and id e ntified BS o ne of tile most dangerous nuclear plants in the natio n. acc or ding 10 the Nucle ar Reg u lat ory Commission (NRC) itself. Over the ye ars we have s erioug nuclea r accide nts at Che mobyl and Th r e e Mile {$land , a n.d mO$t recently at Pllkl1s h im a. In Aug u st 20 I I, New York ex perie nc ed t he e ffec ts of an earth qu ake, Hurricane Ire n e, and a tornado all in one week. It i s no longer p rudem t o believe that "'t c an't hap pen here." The re nrc IlHlI1y factors t hat m ak c In dia n P o i nt's relicens i ng flawed , and ma l(£! denying it imp e r a tive , i n cilldi ng: A History o f Seriou!t P rob lems: The plant has 8 h i st o ry of lTlultipl e t rn nsfo rmer explosions, a m ajo r !ltea m pipe rupt t1re , clog g ed coo lin g sy stem intakes , re p eat ed sir en f ai lures -a nd is a si tting target f or terro rism. D a ngeroll sl y over-crowded fue l po o b: T h e plant's spen! fuel is h ighly r a d i oa c tive and c ontain s about th ree t.im es fhe m dioa ct iv ity n!l Fuku shima's spe n t fuel po ols. Spen t f u cl as se mbli es are densely packe d into sever el y over-crowded fuel po ols th at are housed in to tally unprote c tod storage building s and leaking radioactivity int o th e H udson. On-S i t e Waste Storag e: When the plan t w as first l ic ensed , it was w i d ely believ e d thaI the federa l gov em ment wo uld o pen a nation al w aste dep osit o ry at Yucca Mo untain. That opt i on is n o longer under co n sideration a n d t h ere i s no o ther re posito ry on the horizon. In dian P oi nt i!: now storin g t , 500 tons of highly-radioactive lip cnt n uc l e ar w ast e on-s i te. an d w o uld ad d a.n addit ion al 1 , 0 0 0 tons if the plan t is rel i cen sed for an o ther 20 y e ar s. Health and Environmental Imp act s; Studies h ave shown increased rates of ca l lcer and ot her rela te d to ex po s u re fro m p lanne d and un pl anne d r eleas es of r a dio ac tivity. Indi a n once-thr o u gh c ooling s yste m u se!! 2.5 bi ll i on gallons of water 1\ d<ty fro m the Hudson River, seriously impacting its still declining fish populatio n . E v acuation ill Impos!Cib le: Ev en if the poss ibility of a n earthquake, a terrorist attack, or a fU0 1 pool fire or other accident at I nd ian P oinl is remo te. t h e consequences o f a ser iou s pr o blem Ilt In di a n Point w ou ld b e d evastati ng. A pproxima t ely 20 mill ion people live or w o rk wil'hin S O miles of Indian Point a nd ther e is no evacua t i on pla n for New York City. Within m inut es of a n accid ent or in c ident at In d ian Po in t , gridlock would occ ur ma k ing evacu ation im possi ble. R eplace ment E nergy is ReAd i ly Av a i lable: Nuclear power i s bein g re placed by energy effici e ncy Ilnd r e llewabJes, re pow ering nnd im proved s tor a ge and tr ansm is s ion capability.
Governor Cuomo's Ene rgy High w ay is c urr e ntly is c urre nlly addressing ways to bring excess power, in c lu d ing 4.000 me gaw atts of wind i n t he west'o m pnrt of t h e S tate. to the gr eater NY metrop ol itan area. In Ja nuary 201 2 , the NYS Assembly Committee on En er gy concl uded that the re is more than enough power to allow Indian Point to close w i thoul overbu rd eni n g ratepaye rs or f hre ate nin g reliab ility sfandardg.
To relicense I nd ian P o i nt i n its pres ent location and c on dition d efies l og i c. To d o so is playing a dangerous game of R uss ian rou le tte w ith 01lT lives and fu ture , when safer, cl eaner a lternati v es arc immediately ava ilable. T hank you for cons i d e ring these c omm ents. Sinc erely, . . ( rCY...-v.'"S lC,n . ,-
r/: '-="(;/j' ,oe d" l'L l 1;;',( VI::::> cc: Ad min is tr a ti'v e Judg e Liiwron c J . McDade e/o An n e S ia r n a cki. L a w Clerk; A to mic S afe ty a nd Licensing Bo a rd Panel. Mail St op T*3F 23 U.S. Nuc lear Re g ula tory Commi ss i o n, Washin gton. DC 2055 5-0001 Fax: (30 1) 4 15-5599 f:mail: annc.s iarnac t d@nrc.gov Sept ember 15, 20 1 2 Office of t he Sec r et llry , R ulemaki ngs Rn d Staff , U.S. N ucle ar Reg u l ato ry C o mmisliion , Wa s hington, DC 2 0 555-000 1 Fax: (30 I) 415-1 1 0 I. Emai l: I a m wri t ing to urge t he Nu clear R egulat o ry Com missi o n to deny Enl'e rgy's R p p Ji cation for a 20-ye a r lice n se e x t e nsiofor the IWO oper atin g nuc lea r r ea ctors, IP-2 and rP-3, a t I ndian P oint Energy f ac ility in Buchanan, NY. I n dia n P o int l o ca t ed in t he m os t d e nsely po p u l a te d re gi on of the country and identified as one of the most d a ng ero u (l n ucle a r pla nin t he nnti o n, n ccord i n g to the Nuclear Regulatory Commissi o n (NRC) it se lf. Over the y e ars we h Ave wit n es s ed serionuc l ear a cci dents a t C hernoby l and T h ree Mi le r s l a nd, an d most recently at fukushima. In Augu s t 20 I I , New expe rienced the effects o f an earthq u ak e , Hurr i cane Irene, and a t Onlado al l in one week. It is no l o n ger pr ude nt b e lieve t h at " It can't h a ppcn here.IThe r e arc many facl or s fhat m a ke In d ial1 P o i nt's relic e nsi ng flawe d. and m ake de n ying il: imperativ e, inclu ding: A o f Ser io us T he plnnt has a his t ory of mUltiple trans f orm e r explosions, a mllj o r s t eam pi pe rupture, co o li ng system inl:a k os, r ep ealed siren failures -and is a sitting t a rget for terr o ris m. Dangerou s ly ov cl'-cr o w ded f uel pool s: T he plant's spent f u el i s h ig h l y radioactive an d co nt ain s a b ou t Ihre e times the m di oac t i v i ty a s F uk u sh i m a's sp ent fuel pool s. Spent flle l assemblies arc d en sely p D cked i nto se v erel y o v e r-c ro wded fu el pool s th at arc h ouse d i n to ta lly un p ro tecte d metal s t orage b uil d ings and lea king radioacfivity into the H u d son. O n-Si te W ns t e St o rag e: When the plant was first licensed, it was wid e ly bel ieved that t he fe d eral govern ment woul d open a national w ast e depository a t Yu c ca Mo u n tain. Tha t o ption is no l o nger under consid e ratio n and t h ere i s n o other r e po s it ory on I he h o rizon {ndion Point is IlOW !lt orin g 1,5 00 tons of spen t n uclear WAste o n-site, and would ad d a n a d dition a l 1,0 0 0 to ns if the plant is relicensed for another 20 Health R nd E n viron me nta l Impacts: Sludies have shown in cre ase d rates of cancer and other illne sses rela ted to exposur e from p l a n n e d Ilnd u n p l a n ned r eleases o f radio ll ctiv i ty. Indian Point's o n c e-throu g h cooling s ystem u ses 2.5 billi on g a llon s o f water a day fro m t he Hudson River, seriou s ly i mpacting its s t i ll decli n ing fish p o pulation. Ev acuation is Impossi b le; E v e n i f t he p ossibility of a n earthquak e , a te rr o ris t atmcl(, or EI f llel p ool fi r e or oth er nccide nt at I n di a n P o i nt is remot e , t he consequences of a seri o us prolJ le m a t Indi a n Point would be dev ast ati n g. Ap p roximat el y 2 0 milli o n p eop le liv e o r w o rk within 50 m ile s of Indian Po in t and there no evac u a tio n pla n f or New York C ity. W it hi n minutcs of an Ilccident or i nci dent at Indian Point, gridlock would occur making e vacuation i m po s sible. Replacement En e rgy i ll Rea dily A vaila b le: Nu c l e ar power is b e i ng replaced by energy cfficiency and re n ewa bl es, (c po wer in g a n d imp r o ved storage and trans mission ca p ability. Governor Cuomo'!) Ener gy H ig hway is curren t ly ill cu rre n tl y ad d r essin g ways to b ring exc e ss p ower , including 4 ,000 meg a wa tt s o f w i nd in th e w e st em p art ofl: hc S l8 te, t o th e g re a t er Y m e t r o polit a n ar ea. In .J a nuary 2012. th e NYS As s em b l y Comm i ttee on Ener gy co n clud ed t h at t h e r e is more tl lan enou g h po wer to allow Indian Point t o close with o ut overburden i n g ratepayer s or th re a tening re l i ab i li ty st a ndards . To re li cen se I n dian Poin t in its prescnt loc a tion and cond it ion d e fies logic. To do so is pl a yin g a d a ngerous gam e o f Rus s;an rou l ettc with our I;ves and future, whel) safer, cleaner alt e rnatives are immedia tely avail a b le. Th ank you for consid e ring t hes e com m ent!l. S incer ely, VLvr H*
fAD pe'qrGY ), l'(' 1r -s(-"' c::t::c A) (I \/ tJv (0 / cc: Adm inl s trat iv e .J u dgeLaw r e nceG. McDade I (... ......, (r r lJJo/ ( cr o An ne S ia mae ki, L aw C ler k; Ato m ic Safety and Licensing B o a r d Pane l , Mail St6p T-3F23 ' U.S. Nuclear Re gu latory Co m mi$sio n , Washi n gton, DC 2055 5-Fax: (J 0 I) 4' 5*S 59 9 Email: allne.sia rn acl d@
Sept e mb er 15, 2012 Office of the Secretary, Ru l emakings and Ad jud ications Staff. U.S. N u cl e a r Re gul at o ry C o mmi ssion, Washi ngto n , DC 20 555-00 0 I F ax: (301 ) 415-1101 Emai l:
I am writing to urge the Nuclear Re gulatory Commission to deny En t e r gy's application for a 20-year lic ense exte ns ion f or the two operatin g nuc l ear reactors, IP-2 and IP-3, alln d ian Poi nt E n e r gy Facility i n Buc han a n, NY In d ian Point is locat ed in th e most densel y populate d re g ion oflhe co u n try Dnd ident ifi ed as one of the m ost d a n g erou s nuclea r pl a nt s in t il e nati on, accor d ing to the Nuclea r Regula to ry Comm i ssion (NRC) itsel f. Over the y ears w e ha v e w i tne ss ed serious nuclea r ac ciden ts at C he m obyl an d T hr ee M i le (sl a nd , and most recentl y at Fuk u!l hima. In August 201 1, New York ex p erienc e d the e ffects of an c a rt l1 qua ke, HUlTieanc Irene. and a tornado all i n one week. It is no l o nge r p ru den t to bel ie v e thRt " It c an't Itappen h e re ,. There are many factors that mak e Ind ian Point's reliccnsing flawed, a nd make denying if imperative.
i ncluding: A History o f Pro blems: The plant has a history of multiple t ra n sformer explosion s, a major steam pipe ru pt ure, clogg ed cooli ng system intakes, re p en t e d siren failu res
- a nd is a silting t a rget for terrori sm. Dnngerou!ll y o ve r-c rowded fuel p ools: T he pla n t's s penl fuel is h i g hl y rad i oactive and co ntains about t hree ,'im c$ l hc radioa ctivity as F u ku sh ima's spe n t fue l po ols. Spent fuel are d ensel y pa c ked into s e ve re l y o v e r-c r ow ded fuel po ol s th at n re housed in tO L1l1y unp r ot ccle d meta l s tor a ge bu ildings and leak in g radi oa ct ivi ty i n to the Hud s on. On-Site Storage: When the plant was firs t lic ensed, i t wa s widely bel i eved that th o fe deral government would open a national waste depo s i t o ry at Yu c ca M o untain. That option is n o l o nge r under consi der at i on a nd lherc is n o o t h e r repository on the h or izon. In dian P o i nt is now storing 1 , 500 tons o f highly-radioactive s pent nuc l ea r W Aste o n-s i t e, and woul d ad d an additi o nal 1 , 000 tons if the pl a n t is r e lic e nsed fo r H nother 20 years. Hea lth and Environmental Imp a cts: Stud i es have s hown increased rntes of cancer and o ther iIl ness c s rela t ed to e Kp osure from p la n ned and lln p l a nned releases ofradioaetivity.
India n Poinl's o n ce-through cooling s yst e m uses 2.5 b i ll ion gallons ofwnter 11 day fro m the Hud s on River, seriousl y im p acting its still po p u lation. Evacuation Impo!l,iblc; Even if the p ossi bility of an e arthquake, a terro rist attack, or a fuel poo l fi re or o th er accident at Indian Point jg remot e, t h e c ons eqL1en ces of a seri o us p roblem at Indian Poin t w o u l d be dovastating. Approximately 20 million poople live or w ork w i th i n 50 mile s ofln cJian P oin t and there i s no ev a c u ation piAn for Ne w York City. W i t h in mi n utes of a n " c cident or incident a t rndian P oi nt, gridlo c k w o uld occur m akin g evacua r.ion impossi bl e. Re p lacement Energy is Rea dily Available:
Nuclear power i s being replaced by energy offi cien cy and renewables, repo w eri ng and i mpro ved s t ora g e and tra n sm issio n capability. Governor Cu o mo's Ener gy H ighw a y i s curren tly is cu rrently ways to br i n g exc ess p ower, in c lu d i ng 4,000 m ega wa tts o f w i nd in th e W Elste rn p art of the State, to the grea te r NY me tropoJ iran area. I n Janua ry 20 1 2 , the NYS A!ls e mbl y C om mi tt ee on Ener gy co n clude d t hat t here is more thl1 n enough power to allow Indian Point to close without overburdening ratepayers or th r eatening reli abil ity To relicense Indian Point i n its p res ent lo ca ti on an d c o ndition defies l ogic. To do so is pl a y in g a d a ngerous ga m e of Russian r oulette with o ur l ives an d future , when saf er. clean e r alternatives ar e immediate ly av ailable Thank y o u f or considerin g t hese comme n ts. 1)ClIlI\A...-W 5'-1 NY;YY I cc: Administrative J u d g e Law r ence G. McDade c l o Ann e Siurnac ki , L aw Clerk; Atomic Safety a nd L icens in g B oard Panel, M El il Sto p T -3F23 U.S. Nu clear Re g ulato ry Co m m ission, Washington, DC 2055 5*00 0Fa x: (30 1) 415-55 99 Ema il: 8Ilne.s i arnack i@nrc.