Res. No. 694

Resolution calling upon the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to relicense Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3, so that those reactors will cease operations, and calling upon New York State to work with affected workers, local officials, and environmental groups to develop and implement a socially, economically, and environmentally just transition plan to address the needs of displaced employees and local communities.

By Council Member Richards, Levin, Rosenthal, Johnson, Lander, Mendez, Rose, Kallos, Levine, Treyger, Dromm, Cohen, Constantinides, Chin, Garodnick, King, Reynoso and Rodriguez

Whereas, The Indian Point Energy Center is a facility that generates electricity through the use of two working nuclear reactors, known as Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3, which date back to 1974 and 1976, respectively; and

Whereas, The original licenses for these two active reactors expire in 2013 and 2015, respectively, and Indian Point Energy Center’s owner and operator, Entergy Corporation, is currently seeking a new 20-year license for both reactors from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and

Whereas, Indian Point 2 is currently operating with a license that has expired, but has been granted a provisional extension pending the resolution of its relicensing petition; and

Whereas, Indian Point is sited approximately 25 miles from New York City on the banks of the Hudson River in Buchanan, New York; and

Whereas, Most of New York City, Bridgeport and Stamford, Connecticut, Newark, New Jersey, Putnam, Orange, Westchester, Rockland, Suffolk and Nassau Counties in New York, and Bergen County, New Jersey, are within a 50-mile radius of this nuclear facility; and  

Whereas, The Kensico Reservoir, a critical juncture of the New York City water supply system, is located approximately 17 miles from the Indian Point Energy Center; and

Whereas, Nearly 300,000 people live within a 10-mile radius of Indian Point Energy Center, and 20 million people live or work within a 50-mile radius of the facility; and

Whereas, It is widely regarded as impossible to evacuate such a large population from this area in the event of an emergency at the facility; and

Whereas, In 2008, scientists from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory published a study which concluded that Indian Point Energy Center is situated one mile from the intersection of two striking linear seismological features and that the facility is at a greater risk from earthquakes than previously believed; and

Whereas, In 2011, an earthquake and resulting tsunami caused a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility in Japan, where radioactive contamination has been detected as far away as 140 miles from the plant, and the United States Department of State recommended that Americans not travel within a 50-mile radius of the plant, and that those residing within that area evacuate; and

Whereas, The 9/11 Commission Report found that a terrorist who piloted one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center had considered targeting a nuclear facility that he had seen during familiarization-flights near New York City, suggesting that the terrorist considered targeting Indian Point Energy Center; and

Whereas, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has found that radioactive waste storage facilities at Indian Point Energy Center are insufficiently protected and vulnerable to attack, including spent fuel pools packed to high density in unhardened buildings and dry-cask storage canisters exposed to the open air; and 

Whereas, The potential for severe radioactive contamination of New York City from an incident or accident at Indian Point Energy Center poses unacceptable risks of widespread and serious harm to New York City residents, ranging from chronic diseases and cancer, to birth defects and infant mortality, to property loses and economic impacts that would be devastating to the city, state, nation and world; and

Whereas, The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater environmental advocacy organization has found that an accident at Indian Point Energy Center would have a disproportionate impact on environmental justice communities within the 10-mile emergency planning zone; and

Whereas, Low-income and vulnerable populations in New York City could face similar, disproportionate risks and impacts in the case of an accident at Indian Point Energy Center, due to their relative lack of access to transportation and information, and the longer term impacts of physical and economic displacement and radioactive contamination; and

Whereas, New York State, New York City and the downstate region have the potential to develop ample renewable energy resources to help replace the electricity generated by Indian Point; and

Whereas, In 2012, the New York State Assembly Committee on Energy and Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions found that investments in New York’s existing transmission system, energy efficiency, and projects that are already in the planning process will supply more than enough electricity to allow Indian Point Energy Center to close without compromising the reliability of New York’s power system and without overburdening ratepayers; and

Whereas, In 2012, the New York State Energy Planning Board reported that there are a variety of electricity transmission and generation projects that are in different stages of development that could provide enough power to adequately replace the power supplied by Indian Point Energy Center; and

Whereas, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has challenged Indian Point Energy Center’s practices related to high-level radioactive waste storage, earthquake preparedness and fire safety; and  

Whereas, Governor Andrew Cuomo has long been an opponent of Indian Point Energy Center and has worked to prevent the facility’s relicensing; now therefore, be it

                     Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to relicense Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3, so that those reactors will cease operations, and calls upon New York State to work with affected workers, local officials, and environmental groups to develop and implement a socially, economically, and environmentally just transition plan to address the needs of displaced employees and local communities.

BTM

LS 1082

4/24/2015 11:00am