Beacon: Add to security at nuclear plant

Council passes resolution, 4-3

By Maeleeke J. Lavan
Poughkeepsie Journal

BEACON -- Beacon has joined a growing number of municipalities calling for tighter security measures at Indian Point nuclear power plant in northern Westchester County.

But some, including the Beacon mayor and members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, insist the concerns are unfounded.

''This is overkill,'' Mayor Clara Lou Gould said. ''I think our resolution implies a great deal of knowledge that isn't present on this council.''

In a 4-3 vote Monday, the council passed a resolution asking the NRC to take steps to ensure security at the nuclear power plant is at its peak. The NRC oversees the nation's nuclear plants.

Gould voted against the resolution along with council members Sam Way and Fred Antalek. Supporters -- on the board and in the audience -- said they were concerned about the threat of terrorist attacks as well as the operation of the plant.

No experience needed

''I think I do not have to be an engineer to be afraid of Indian Point,'' said resident Lucille Weinstat, who thanked the council for passing the resolution. ''I think it's an accident waiting to happen.''

Beacon isn't the first municipality to pass a resolution regarding safety issues at Indian Point.

The Town of Fishkill recently passed a similar resolution, calling for enhanced evacuation plans and reviews of nuclear fuel storage procedures, terrorist attacks and public evacuation. And the town and village of New Paltz have supported environmentalists' calls to widen the evacuation zone around the site about 25 miles south of Dutchess County.

In part, the Beacon resolution asks the NRC to review the plant's vulnerabilities, security measures and evacuation plans. It also asks the agency to immediately order the development and use of security measures that encompass newly arisen risks, or to shut down the plant's active reactors.

One Beacon resident, who also is an Indian Point employee, told council members who voted in favor of the resolution: ''Shame on you.''

''Does anyone know what I have to go through to get into work?'' asked Thomas Clegg. ''Do any of you know how many guards are on duty? No, but you voted.''

Councilman Steve Gold, D-4th Ward, does not believe the NRC is taking the safety issue seriously.

''I respect the workers at Indian Point, value the electricity it generates and its economic benefits, but I do not think it is worth the risk we are taking by leaving it open and vulnerable to an attack,'' he said. ''I believe the NRC will never accept the believability of a threat scenario that Indian Point cannot overcome.''

NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci said the commission is continuing to take appropriate steps to enhance security at all its plants.

''We believe the plant is safe to operate,'' Screnci said. ''If we believed any plant was unsafe to operate, it would shut down.''

Since Sept. 11, Screnci said, the NRC has issued 30 advisories to nuclear plants recommending they take specific actions regarding safety, and mandatory steps were issued in February. Reviews of security requirements are ongoing.

She said the increased security measures included increased security patrols, creating additional security posts and conducting vehicle checks farther away from entrances.

''We believe the level of security at the plant is at the appropriate level,'' she said. ''If we need to change our requirements, we'll do that throughout the rule-making process.''

Logging on

For more information on Indian Point or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, visit the Web sites www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/safeguards/response-911.html or www.safesecurevital.com/