If you guys had a brain you'd be dangerous! What a bunch of BS.

Indian Point is a complex problem that everyone wants a simple answer to. The bad news is that there is no simple answer. Yes, the environment is a priority but to think you can make all your problems go away by not re-licensing the facility is just not true. If you are familiar at all with nuclear power you know that a byproduct of nuclear reactors are spent fuel rods. They are still radioactive and they are thermally very hot. So hot in fact that it will take about 30 years for them to cool down while sitting in the pool. Adding to that challenge is that once they are cool, there isn't anywhere for them to be transported to so they will be sitting right here for a long, long time. What is the answer? The answer is to come up with a viable plan for a transition to clean energy and an answer to the fuel rod issue.
Perhaps for a change we can get together the politicians, scientists, engineers and emergency managers along with the power company and decide on a plan that can be presented to the public. Baring that, we're just going to find ourselves choosing up sides and pretty much nothing is going to get done until we actually do have a disaster.

Wow, another Robert Kennedy jr and Riverkeeper LIE! His credibility continues to diminish. Its not a complex issue at all. Nuclear power is one of the safest, cheapest and enviornmently cleanest energy supplies we have in the US. The Fukashima disaster can never happen at Indian Point! That was all due to tidal waters from the earthquake that shut down the aux power for the reactors which were at sea level, unlike whats inplace here, (get your facts straight please). All of this nonsense about wind and solar power is just that, nonsense! It could never supply the required power that Indian Point does. NYC would not exsist without Indian Point, another fact! So if you want to turn in all of you A/C units, multiple big screen tv's, laptops, desktops, washer/dryers, diswashers, have your electric bills quadruple and most of all STOP ALL BUILDING OF NEW HOMES AND OFFICES then have at it, but its not gonna happen here. We're all trying to move forward, especially in this economy, but of course none of this matters to RFK and the Riverkeeper. I grew up in Croton and have lived in Buchanan for over 20 years! I went to the plant as a kid and as an adult, ive read the NRC reports (unlike Riverkeepers) this is one of the safest reactors in our country!! (another fact) So why dont you all go live off the land, eat your berries and NUTS and leave the rest of us alone! Shut up or put up! Practice what you preach! Get a life PLEASE!!

"IT IS SAFE, SECURE AND VITAL"
Quote from:
Senator Markus Arelious
Pompei, Italy, 79AD

Right on bob and robin. woo hoo. I'm sick of all the lies put out by these guys. If they only put as much energy as they do on this into real problems we have, like unemploymet, our debt and defict, we might make some progress, but oh no, these Democratics want to control all of us with rule and regulations and force us to rely on our government and what they say! Hey government, get out of my life, leave me alone and dont dare tell me what to do, PLEASE! Go live in another country if you dont like "our freedom" in America. On a seperate note did anyone see the short article a few weeks ago about Robert Kennedy Jr being investigated for child abuse? Funny how the Kennedy stuff never ends, or gets into the mainstream media? Just saying? Coincidence, i think not.

Really Rob T, this could Never happen at Indian Point? That is a pretty definitive statement. So if an eathquake were to occur in New York City, and surrounding areas of the magnitude of that of Fukashima, Indian Point is that strong and will remain unaffected? Somehow your comment doesn't make me feel all that safe. Natural disasters are powerful, and more powerful at times than man made structures like nuclear power plants. I don't have the answers on what to do with Indian Point, but please don't make such declarative statements as "that will never happen", because one will truly never know until it does.

The question no one wants to answer is: Are you ready to leave everything you own and know, every possession, piece of paper or picture or valuable not to mention your home in an hours notice and never come back for the next 1000 years?

Happypatcher,
Yes, I have decided to accept the very low risk that it is possible that I will have to "leave everything [I] own and know, every possession...." due to a nuclear accident at Indiana Point.
I also accept the somewhat higher risk that my house will burn down (I live in community without fire hydrant water service). I also drive 500+ miles per week incurring an even greater risk that I'll die in a car accident. I also often leave my car unlocked incurring an even greater risk that something will be stolen from my car.

John, it is a risk. The big difference is if your house burns down, or you die in a car accident (god forbid) or get stuff stolen, that's your problem. If IP screws up 100s of thousands of people are at high or deadly risk and the financial capitol of the world will be fried which will lead to apocalyptic catastrophe. Low Risk 79AD - those guys couldn't move a mountain but we have a chance to move IP

Despite mentioning Fukushima ten times, there is no similarity whatsoever between the design of Indian Point and the TEPCO complex.
11.3 million people at risk? Please. The New York City Water supply is entirely composed of water from higher elevations than Indian point. There is no way that radioactive groundwater from Indian Point could see uphill into the Catskills.
Is there a risk? Yes. But when you think about that, think about the fifty plus years of operation at Indian Point with no deaths. Then think about the gas plant explosion in Connecticut last year. Think about the tanker truck explosion on I287 a few years ago. Think about the gas line explosion in NJ a few years ago. Then let's weigh the risks like grownups.

Thanks for straightening me out on the facts Joe, if feel a whole lot safer now. You should be a salesman.

Lets see.... Two groups with an Agenda. Put forth an article supporting there agenda... Who saw that coming... These people must think we are stupid

Sometimes I wonder if the people who want to close IP, are really residents of the area.OR just pesky environmental activist

Notice how the folks who believe this article is bogus nonsense are so nasty?

I only ask the environmentalist to do a search on Agenda 21 coming to a planet near you on June 12th 2012

Here's the problem I have with this piece. Patch (and I am sure others, sad to say) report press releases like these without any context nor journalistic standards. This is clearly not a newsworthy piece - it is the equivalent of a free ad. Where are the follow-up questions? The least the Patch can do is have a press release rebuttal from IP. Who is "Environmental NY". Are all readers supposed to know who Riverkeeper is? From what I know about them, they are groups that champion very liberal causes with one-sided investigations. Shouldn't we be entitled to understanding the economic factors if we do away with Indian Point? Obviously, alternative technologies are not at a stage yet where it will not have a significant effect on peoples lifestyles. Until then, nuclear energy, with its flaws, is a proven way to efficiently and cleanly supply energy.

Here is the news article on Indian Point's response: http://patch.com/A-q6bk

It's quite amazing how some people just cant see this is two groups with an "agenda based" liberal attack on Nuclear Power and so called "what if doomsday" scenarios, even though the "what if" senarios arn't realistic? (im sure you guys cant wait for the premier of the new Nat Geo show Doomsday Preppers next tues night, enjoy, lol) I agree with Peter's assessment on Patch, and also the "one sided" approach knowing what they want in a so called report before the research is even done regauardless of "facts". Daily life is a risk from getting out of bed to crossing the street which has a much higher risk of killing you than Indian Point does. You cant live your life with these crazy idea's and "worring" about or comparing other completely different accidents in other countries to Indian Point. And for all of you who like to live in the Pompei/Mt Vesuvius era, its 2012, it must be so sad to live your life in the past, how unpleasent. Like some others who have comented here i also live in Buchanan for decades and couldn't agree more with the mis-information put out about indian Point, so please why dont you enlighten your life today and get the facts for yourselves rather than "what someone tells you", just because someone makes a statement doesnt make it true, get the facts and the truth will set you free. Indian Point, clean, safe and most of all, VITAL.

So Remy, where are the proven dozens of safer and cheaper alternatives to nuclear energy? Have Riverkeeper, ENY or consumer groups conducted an analysis on how to bring these alernatives to the market? If these consumer groups have this research and unassailable truth on their side, why haven't they lured investors to knock out companies like Entergy on the open market? Why must they keep appealing to politicians to eradicate the devil when all they have to do is defeat it at its own game?

Well I guess everyone has chosen up sides to yell at each other again. I would like to say something as someone who actually does know something about Emergency Management and Significant Radioactive Sources. I am more concerned with the cooling pools than the reactor building itself and that's where most of you are missing the point. The reactor building can withstand a plane crash, the pool cannot. The reactor building can withstand an earthquake, the pool cannot. The reactor building is well secured, the pool is not. There is also a fault that runs near IP, in fact there are two and the intersect pretty close by. The newest one to be discovered is the Peekskill-Stamford Line and I know that some of you will say that some left wing, liberal must have faked the data just to scare us but I've looked at the data and it's pretty convincing. So here's your wake-up call: Although Entergy may be a person under the law it really doesn't care about you and I. It cares about making a profit and it has a responsibility to its shareholders to do that and that's all legal and fine. I just ask all of you, no matter what side your on to open your minds and do some research. You don't need to believe River Keeper but you certainly don't need to believe Entergy either. Get all the facts before you make up your . Then you can explain your position rather than just making accusations about the honesty, integrity or intelligence of each other.
Thank you

Everything is cheaper, cleaner, safer and as productive as nuclear when you take into consideration environmental cost accounting and decommissioning. But if you'd been paying attention these last few years, you'd know that since 2006 LED retrofits alone in New York state have already made up for the 2000Mw of electricity produced by Indian Point. Sadly, Spitzer never started the countdown clock after he promised us during his campaign that if we could make up the power he'd shut down the plant. He lied to us, what else is new?

LEDs do not contain mercury. CFLs do, and only in such tiny amounts, that eating a can of tuna fish, actually contains MORE mercury than a CFL. Also unlike CFLs, LEDs emit light at a much higher flicker rate frequency, which doesn't produce the background noise chronic with fluorescents. We have 58 LED T8 tubes in our library, our patrons tell us its the most amazing light they've ever read under. The Philips AmbientLED bulb reproduces the spectrum temperature of a 60w incandescent bulb to perfection, nobody can tell the difference in blind tests. Our organization Rock The Reactors contributed the LED research to the McGraw title Green Lighting. Once again, LEDs may not be the complete solution to nukes, although it's fun to promote them as such, but it certainly plays a great role. While many people can't afford a PV array for their house yet, they can certainly switch their home and business to LEDs, which will pay for itself in a year off their electrical bill. Most smart building managers have already done this, or are planning to do so. It's a quiet, invisible revolution which is ultimately going to shave 20% off our overall electrical needs since most of our electrical consumption comes from lighting.

Peter,
I don't pretend to have the ultimate answer but as you asked I will tell you what I think. I think the plant does need to be shut down but it needs to be part of a plan. Simply not re-licensing the plant is not an option I would recommend. Let's take this time and add provisions to the re-licensing that would require Entergy to address the spent fuel rod issue and write a strategic plan for going forward that can be reviewed at public hearings. Then let's look at reducing demand by giving people tax breaks to install energy saving technologies at their homes and businesses. If I could write off these installations on my taxes, they would pay for themselves and create jobs as a bonus. Then let's ask business to come up with better technologies so that we can produce electricity more efficiently and while we're at it, give them a tax break if they come up with these technologies and another if the produce it in this country. Let's for once look at the future and begin to plan for it today. It really isn't about putting Entergy out of business. I can tell you that looking at technology and how far it''s come in the last 40 years, I can't believe that wind, tidal and solar won't be much much better in the next twenty years. They're probably not viable solutions today but I guarantee you they will be. Let's plan now so we can act later or we can buy it from the Chinese because they're already tooling up.

As for your other questions, why we need a governor to do something that the free market can do on its own? That's because the nuclear power industry is like organized crime, it will require RICO laws to remove them from the free market equation. If every New York resident signed on for Green Energy on their utility bill, the New York Independent System Operator would have no other choice but to disconnect Indian Point from the grid, along with all coal and garbage fired plants, creating market circumstances similar to those in Germany where 60% of all electrical needs are provided by so-called clean energy generation. PVs and wind are already priced cheaper than new nuke construction, it's a better long term investment. Shutting down Indian Point would be a win-win situation, creating a boom in renewable energy industries, providing safer, cleaner, greener, more lucrative forms of energy for the entire region. Check out Greendrinks.org and attend one near you.

Who's neighborhoods are we going to start covering with solar panels? Every neighborhood! Check out Solar Mosaic. Not true about the cost of PVs. They are market ready, they're exploding in Fairfield County with first adopters, it won't take long for the price point to drop so every house can afford them.

Solar panels are expensive and the winter storms will do so much damage that the panels will have to be replaced from year to year...They don't tell you that when they are installing your solar panels because you are a potential repeat costumer.

FYI: Here are Westchester County's rules for disposing of CFL bulbs. http://environment.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/specialwastes.pdf
Also here's an article from the Times on LEDs http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/science/earth/30degrees.html?pagewanted=all

Lanning, thanks for the postings. Like the fact that i can turn those CFL's into Home Depot. It also looks like some people will be using CFL's and incandescent's a little longer. 20 years to recoup the cost for an LED?

Mungo.you are right the figure that I stated was wrong, the actual figure from the article says [Homeowners may balk at the high initial cost, which lighting experts say currently will take 5 to 10 years to recoup in electricity savings]..

LED payback depends on use since it is measured from the savings off your utility bill. As an example, since it costs about $30 a year to keep a 60w incandescent light on for 8 hours a day, the LED equivalent will pay for itself in a year. Building managers are removing fluorescent tubes from office and factory spaces, where these lights sometimes stay on 24/7 and are replacing them with LED tubes. These LED installations pay for themselves in under a year. Art galleries or boutiques switching from halogen track lights to LEDs, can see their installation pay back for itself in just a few months, with an 80% reduction on their electrical bill henceforth.

Remy, how many people that you know keep their lights on 24/7 ? I can see everyone going to LED's when the cost of electricity goes up in the very near future as the President has planned. Are these LED's made in the USA? The CFL's weren't.

Francis,
When calculating the payback there are more calculations than the current cost of electricity. As LED's generate no heat it will cost less to air condition the space and as you pointed out, the cost of electricity will most likely go up. Additionally, 8 watts of led's can replace 65 watts of incandescent bulbs. Then there's the fact that led's will not need to be replaced for approximately ten years so you need to calculate the cost of replacing a lightbulb every 60 to 90days through the ten year period.

Think about it, if it were going to take twenty years to payback the cost do you think you would see cities such as LA replacing all their street lights with led's?

Finally, let's lay off the President on this one although I know you love blaming him for everything, CFL's have been here for years and the phasing out of all incandescent bulbs was passed a long time ago and survived the Bush administration (yes even he supported it).

So where are the led's being made? Mostly Japan,China and the far east, but mostly by American companies who receive a tax break by moving their businesses overseas (a tax loophole that needs to be closed).

Mungo, Re; the tax loop hole. There would be no reason for this loop hole if the companies stayed here in the USA. Taxes and regulations dictate that they move off shore. As far as CFL's, I'm not blaming Obama. I am blaming him for wanting to put onerous regulations on the coal industry thus increasing the cost of generating electricity by those coal fired plants. We do get over 40% of our electricity from coal. I do like LED lighting and probably go over to them if and when the prices come down to a reasonable level. I have replaced my some of my vehicles lamps with LED's. They last a lot longer and now they have made them with the same intensity as the incandescent lamps.Also waiting for them to make LED headlamps at a reasonable price.