WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communiations, News Releases from IPSEC and RiverKeeper. (Edited)  UPDATED July 25, 2003, 10:00 P.M. E.D.T.: Westchester County Executive Andy Spano reacted with shock and dismay Friday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's decision certifying Indian Point's Emergency Plans were adequate. FEMA reached the decision after months of Westchester County refusing to certify the plans. The decision also shocked Riverkeeper, the activist organization that has been in the forefront opposing the plans.  Riverkeeper, in a statement called on Governor George Pataki to take a stand on the FEMA certification that sets aside county refusal to certify the evacuation plans as adequate.

County Executive Spano issued this statement on the FEMA decision:

“It is outrageous for FEMA to think it can override the counties who know more about  the evacuation plan than anyone else. We have told the federal government that the emergency evacuation plans for Indian Point are unworkable in a fast-moving emergency.  In my opinion, FEMA’s credibility is completely destroyed on this issue  – especially when its own former director, James Lee Witt, issued a detailed report saying the emergency plan cannot work in a fast-breaking scenario.  FEMA has never addressed the concerns raised in the Witt Report

“We in Westchester will take our concerns directly to the NRC, which has the ultimate authority on this matter. We will use every legal and administrative means at our disposal to fight recertification.”

In bitter reaction to the FEMA recertification announced today by the Associated Press, (no offiicial press release from FEMA was published), The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC), a coalition of 58 citizen, environment, health, and public policy organizations, denounced FEMA’s ruling that the residents within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point can be protected by the current evacuation and sheltering plans for the nuclear power plants located in Buchanan, NY, just 22 miles from New York City.  From IPSEC's press release:

IPSEC project coordinator, Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, PhD, commented, "FEMA’s decision to re-certify the Indian Point Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan (REPP) is an abdication of the agency's legal responsibility to protect the public’s health and safety.  We are appalled at the gross recklessness of this Federal Agency.  If the local counties and first responders cannot give reasonable assurance that they can protect residents, and SEMO, recognizing the state' home rule policy, stands behind this decision, how can FEMA rule against them?"

"This ruling ignores the comprehensive evaluation conducted by James Lee Witt Associates for the State of New York at a cost of almost one million dollars and conducted over several months in the late summer and fall of 2002.  FEMA’s actions show that corporate profits and an extremely well-funded public relations campaign by the operators of Indian Point supercede long established rules and regulations, and contradict the findings of the most extensive and unbiased evaluation of Indian Point's evacuation plan."

James Lee Witt is the former director of FEMA and had responsibility for nuclear emergency planning for the entire country for eight years.  When hired by Governor George Pataki, Mr. Witt was specifically lauded for his nuclear emergency planning experiences at all levels of government.  The Witt Report states in no uncertain terms that the Indian Point REPP is “inadequate to protect the public from an unacceptable dose of radiation.”  The report continues that the plan inadequacies would be even worse if the radiation release were faster or larger than current design basis assumptions.  This is the type of scenario one could expect from a successful terrorist attack. Finally, James Lee Witt questioned whether certain aspects of emergency planning could even be improved enough to protect the public.

"The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition is greatly disappointed and distressed by FEMA’s findings that fly in the face of compelling evidence.  Over 300,000 residents living within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point have been put in jeopardy by the Federal agency meant to protect residents. Entergy's own traffic analysis just indicated that evacuation times have been greatly understated, which resulted in Westchester and Rockland County officials considering a sheltering strategy rather than even attempting evacuation. This is tantamount to admitting that the evacuation plan cannot work.  Residents cannot be expected to just stay put and hope for the best," continued Rainwater van Suntum. 

IPSEC called upon FEMA to reverse their decision and the NRC to pull the plug on the plant.

It is the responsibility of the NRC to suspend operations until such time that the evacuation plan can be successfully implemented.  If a plan cannot be successfully implemented, under 10 CFR 50.47, the operating license must be withdrawn.  These steps are the legal and ethical responsibilities of FEMA and the NRC.  IPSEC expects that these responsibilities are met.  In the event that these agencies charged with protecting the public health and safety abdicate their responsibilities, it would be incumbent on the affected citizens and their government bodies and representatives to seek redress through other means.

RiverKeeper released a statement upon unconfirmed rumors of the surprise certification, and here is the text of that statement from Alex Matthiessen, Executive Director of Riverkeeper: