New York officials call for closure of nuke plant

Officials in New York have declared the Indian Point nuclear power plant unsafe and poorly run and demanded that it should be closed.

New York, Dec.5 : Officials in New York have declared the Indian Point nuclear power plant unsafe and poorly run and demanded that it should be closed.

According to an editorial in the New York Times, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have to decide in the next year or two whether to allow Indian Point to remain open after its two reactor licenses expire in 2013 and 2015.

Officials demanding its closure have said that plant could be vulnerable to a terrorist attack, has a record of leaks, accidents and environmental damage and the danger it poses to 20 million residents in a 50 mile radius.

If the plant has to be closes, it would require changing the rules of such hearings, which focus on the soundness of the plant and the ability of the utility to run it, says the editorial.

By asking for a hearing, New York Attorney General Spitzer and Governor Cuomo have joined local politicians and activists in arguing that the 9/11 attacks changed things and that the commission has not adequately addressed the risks and consequences of terrorism as it reviews relicensing applications for the plants it oversees.

ANI