NY AREA Tells State Assembly Their Indian Point Findings 'Ring False'
New York Business and Labor Leaders Tell New York State Assembly Energy and Corporations Chairmen: “Preliminary Findings” on Indian Point ring false and contradict expert testimony; Urge Chairmen and members to take “a deliberate and careful look at the e
The following was released by the New York Affordable Reliablie Electricity Alliance on Feb. 10:
The New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA), representing the state’s leading business, community, and labor organizations, today strongly urged members of the New York State Assembly Committee on Energy and the Assembly Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions to reconsider their “preliminary findings,” issued via press release on February 1, on the effects of closing the Indian Point Energy Center.
In a letter to committee chairmen Kevin Cahill and James Brennan, New York AREA members express their strong disagreement with the committees’ assessment. The letter, signed by leaders of organizations which employ tens of thousands of New Yorkers, states, “We find the ‘preliminary findings’ that Indian Point Energy Center could close with little impact on ratepayers and reliability particularly troubling because, in our opinion, it fails to take into account the hours of testimony provided by NYISO, Con Ed officials, and the Charles River Associates at the January 12 committee hearing.” Charles River Associates is a nationally-renowned firm hired by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a study on the effects of closing Indian Point.
The letter also restates the findings of numerous studies conducted over several years to determine the economic, grid reliability, and environmental impacts of shutting down Indian Point. Those studies show that Indian Point’s closure would result in a $10 billion to $12 billion increase in energy costs for New York State consumers, the loss of 12,000 jobs in the Hudson Valley region, and an approximately 15% increase in carbon emissions.
New York AREA urges the committees to take a deliberate and careful look at the information provided to them by leading energy experts and to utilize this information to reconsider their preliminary findings. Shutting down Indian Point would have a dramatic impact on both electric rates and system reliability in New York.
The organizations signing the letter include:
§ African American Environmentalist Association
§ Boilermakers Local 5
§ Bronx Chamber of Commerce
§ The Business Council of New York State
§ The Business Council of Westchester
§ Dr. Matthew Cordaro, former CEO, Midwest Independent System Operator
§ Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation
§ Independent Power Producers of New York, Inc.
§ Insulators Local 12
§ Nassau and Suffolk Building Trades
§ National Federation of Independent Business (New York State)
§ New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA)
§ Rockland Business Association
§ Westchester County Association
Key excerpts of testimony at the January 12 hearing, the video of which is provided by the State of New York (used by New York AREA for issues education purposes only), can be seen at: http://area-alliance.org/index.php/new-york-state-assembly/.
About New York AREA: Founded in November 2003, the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA) is a diverse group of more than 150 business, labor, and community groups whose mission and purpose is to ensure that New York metropolitan area has an ample and reliable electricity supply, and economic prosperity for years to come. Entergy, the owner of Indian Point, is a member of New York AREA. New York AREA helps to educate policy makers, businesses, and the general public regarding the necessity and importance of safe, low-cost, reliable, clean electricity.
For additional information visit: www.area-alliance.org.
To obtain information on reports, statements, and testimony about Indian Point, click here.
To view the full letter to Assembly Committee Chairmen Brennan and Cahill, click on the PDF attached to this article.
Joe Doakes
11:58 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
Why would we eliminate a reliable and safe source of energy and a job creator? Where there are safety concerns we must address them, but in the final analysis, just like we accept the risk and reality of death and destruction the motor vehicles cause, we must accept this risk. Even though it has harmed not a soul in its entire history of operation.
Bjorn Olsson
12:06 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Do you mean to say that nuclear energy has never caused anyone harm, or just Indian Point?
Christine
8:23 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Did Chernobyl harm anyone before it melted down? How about the plant in Japan? Indian point is built on not one but two fault lines. Try driving on 202 on any given day. Now imagine doing so with 50 x the cars and the drivers in a state of panic. Indian point provides neither clean nor safe energy. Not worth the risk to me.
Watchdog
8:47 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
I assume you either do not live in the area or are moving soon since "it is not worth the risk" to you. Saying that IndianPoint doesn't provide clean energy is completely in accurate and comparing it to Chernobyl is....well.....stupid.
Joe Doakes
2:07 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Chernobyl was built by Soviets who ere more concerned with satisfying their government minders then the high engineering standards that American nuclear plants must meet to operate. A brand new plant is about to be built have just gotten permission from the feds. It is an order of magnitude better then Indian Point, and Indian Point is an order of magnitude better then Chernobyl and its graphite filled reactor now covered in concrete because they did not have a commitment to quality and safety that Americans do. We over engineer our systems to handle the unexpected. Admittedly they are getting a little long in the tooth. To solve this we must have a place to put nuclear waste. Send a letter to Harry Reid. Tell him to open Yucca Mountain!
Bob Ogden
9:32 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Let's see Cahill and Brennan who I would imagine are the two Assemblymen with the same names. One represents a district in Brooklyn, the other in Ulster County. Oh! the African American Environmentalist Association - Environmentalists my butt, this is a group aligned with the Republican party going back to George Bush, they question the science behind climate change and their leader is a member of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance. The Business Council of Westchester is a group of large corporations but we all know Corporations are People Too. The rest of the groups are mostly electrical contractors and unions that have people working at the plant. Truth is the plant needs to close and we need to deal with the spent rod program which is probably the real 2000 lb gorilla in the room that no one wants to mention. Perhaps we can build a new plant in Ulster County or Brooklyn. I'd suggest that the 44th Assembly District as a great place or maybe the 101st in Ulster County.
Watchdog
10:01 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
PP, that is what is commonly called ATTACKING THE MESSENGER. But that was expected from PP. PP is Suggesting we should listen to PP and not pay attention to the report generated not by the Group of politicians and Unions (not he hates the Unions????? when did that happen?????) by a well-respected Consultant hired to do a non partisian job.
Bob Ogden
10:04 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Watchdog, I don't hate unions. In fact I believe that unions exist because corporations cannot be trusted to care for their workers. This report is a sham and it's spearheaded by people who don't even live here and who have a vested interest in keeping the plant open. You consider yourself brilliant' what would you do with the spent fuel rods? Bury them in your backyard?
Watchdog
10:33 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Can you say Yucca Mountain Nuclear Depository? Why is Obama and your democratic party preventing the burying of these rods? It was approved by Congress in 2002 but Obama took it out of the budget so he ....and you...can say that I should put them in my backyard. PP, please, does someone have to live here to give a candid report? Now it is getting plain silly. You are knocking the Union from one side of your mouth and supporting them from the other side depending on what point you are trying to make. At least be consistent so you can have a shred of credability.
Bob Ogden
11:23 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Re: Yucca Mountain. I see you're quick to blame our President for cancelling the Yucca Mountain Repository so I thought I'd educate you a little about it. Yucca mountain was originally approved in 1982 by Presidnt Reagan. It was scheduled to begin receiving waste by 1998, when President Clinton was in Office. The project was over budget and overdue at that point and although Nevada residents opposed it it was kept operational. Then after President Clinton, President Bush took office until January 2008. Yucca mountain still wasn't ready and it was now more than ten years behind schedule. Then yes, President Obama shut down the project. So you see watchdog, had Clinton or Bush gotten this thing working then it would have been operational before Obama. Environmentalists are torn on whether Yucca was a good or bad thing, and I'm not really sure myself with it being so close to a nuclear test site. But the point is that if you just want to place blame for it not opening you can blame both parties.
Joe Doakes
9:35 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
To Watchdog,
Most of the tunneling is complete. The casks are already designed. At the mere cost of billions!
Bob Ogden
10:58 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Watchdog, You are a lost cause. I am consistent and honest. I site fault wherever I see it and although I'm a huge supporter of labor unions, that doesn't mean they get a pass when they're wrong. You on the other hand will defend big business against people every time regardless of what they do and have in the past attacked the messenger yourself. Need I remind you what you've said about Riverkeeper? Perhaps you have no vested interest in this community, but it is my opinion that those of us that live here should have the final say. Indian Point is more than forty years old which was what it was built for. It's time to shut it down. I know you have selective memory, but think hard; do you remember Three Mile Island, do you remember Strontium 90 being found in milk? I do.. Have you read about the Peekskill-Stamford Line and how it intersects another fault practically under IP? I did. Do you think an electric bill that's a few dollars cheaper a month is worth the health of the children next door. I don't. Or is it all about money? Someday you will find out that what the Cree proverb said was true and that in the end, you'll find that you can't eat money.
BTW If you think I have a point of view on Indian Point wait until they try to bring hydro-fracking to New York.
You ain't seen nothing yet.
Watchdog
7:38 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
PP.
OBAMA is President, not Bush. BUSH cannot open Yucca Mountain. OBAMA can ole Yucca Mountain. Is THAT clear now?
You were shown a report prepared by a legitimate organization and supported by Businesses and Unions both. Rarely are business a NC Unions on the same page. They are in this instance.
So PP:
Attacks the legislatiors because they do not live in Peekskill.
Attacks businesses since businesses are always wrong
Attacks the Unions because they are wrong because PP says so.
Attacks Watchdog because he says I ave no vested interest in the Community I lived in for 40 years.
PP if you really believed that Indan Point was in such danger, you would have movedby now.
Koren
11:39 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
To Watch Dog and Peekskill Pete. Please exchange your phone numbers and bicker privately.
Bob Ogden
12:08 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Not a problem. As soon as you publish your phone number.
CK
11:51 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ggg3C87UVCY
Francis T McVetty
9:03 am on Sunday, February 12, 2012
CK, very NOT funny. That really adds to the dialog, doesn't it?
CK
1:55 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Oops sorry. Thanks for keeping me honest. That indeed was the NOT funny video. Here's the FUNNY one. My Bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3TtEmgPeJc
Bob Zahm
9:29 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
Good thing that the video shows only exhaust and cooling towers going down - maybe some from coal-fired plants? - and no containment domes.
Francis T McVetty
3:45 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Ck , and hundreds were killed. Yes there was flooding, Did the plant meltdown. NO. So what is your point?
Don Bartolo
5:55 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Wow, Wait a minute! I see what CK is saying. That's incredible. CK is telling us that we can't predict the next disaster, nor can we control it. It doesn't have to be a Tsunami, it can be something we've never thought of.
Thanks CK. I always thought that the next disaster had to be exactly the same as the last one. Whoda thunk!.
CK
6:41 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Hey Marius... well, yeah, life is unpredictable. But I think we can guess what will get Indian Point.... hydrofracking! Hyrdrofracking will be introduced in NY, the process will make vast tracts of land unstable as happened in Ohio...
http://gothamist.com/2012/01/03/hydrofracking_probable_cause_of_ohi.php
and the fault lines under IP will get to do the shaky dance! Who could have seen it coming?
But the good news, Francis and Watchdog's property values, and therefore property taxes, will finally go down. Their dream come true! A win-win!
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111102a1.html
Don Bartolo
7:40 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thanks CK, I think once again you are right, but these folks won't listen. I usually point to Dimock Pa where homeowners no longer have potable water to drink and probably would sell their homes but no one wants them. But hey, the EPA is trucking in water for them and the gas company says it isn't their fault, it's just a coincidence.
Boy, I'm so glad that the big corporations are watching out for us. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (although that might be just a fungus).
Watchdog
4:39 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
OVER 1,500,000 people died from the FLU in the last 40 years since Indian Point was erected. No one died from an incident related to Indian Point.
Francis T McVetty
9:10 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
So Marius you can't discuss Indian Point, which is the topic,, so you switch the subject to hydrofraking? Nice try!
CK
6:56 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Hey Francis, I'm the one who switched the subject to hydrofracking. So please don't give Marius the credit for the nice try! (I collect these things). Thanks.
Don Bartolo
8:25 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Fancis,
Pay attention, they're all related.
You might want to read the post by CK that preceded it and while you're at it read the post below by Bjorn. I know you don't want to compromise on anything but that's the only way we're going to settle this problem.
Bjorn Olsson
9:49 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2012
I think the boring, balanced view must simply be that nuclear power is fine, as long as it is fine. Oil and coal pollute continuously and CO2 issues are escalating as well.
Nuclear power don't have any of those issues, and could allow us to leave some oil in the ground for future millennia, but the negative consequences of mishandling and accidents are potentially huge and catastrophic. Nuclear waste is also a much bigger issue than one might think. It's not just uranium rods, it's anything from machine parts to protective clothing, so there needs to be a LOT of storage in a place we need to be absolutely certain will be safe on a geological time scale. How do we guarantee that?
The only sane cause of action must be put serious resources in harnessing safe and renewable energy, it can be done. What if building code was altered to require all new construction to include wind, solar, geothermal components, not to mention simple energy efficiency measures? We may need both oil, gas, coal and nukes right now, but let's at least make efforts to steer away from these unsustainable sources.
CK
6:58 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Many good points here, Bjorn. Watchdog, Francis... dinner is served.
Don Bartolo
8:16 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Bjorn,
Well thought out and reasonable. I believe our future is in alternative energy such as wind, solar, tidal (all things available right here in Westchester). Every reasonable person believes we should shut down IP at some point but we need a plan. Thanks for your input this should be the plan.
Francis T McVetty
8:40 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Bjorn, people can't afford to buy a house now, can you imagine the price of that house with all YOUR new codes added?
As far as storage for the "hot": stuff there is already a place for that, the taxpayers have already coughed up over 90 billion dollars to create such a site, it is called the Yucca Mountain storage facility. Why don't you give a call to your friend Harry Ried and ask him after taking all the taxpayers money for his state, that he won't let it open?
Bjorn Olsson
9:50 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Francis, you're illustrating the point I am trying to make. You don't argue the point that we are rapidly depleting resources that have talked millions of years to create, you see only right now, not the big picture. Imagine what the REAL price of oil would be if you had to actually produce it rather than just pump it out of the ground, not to mention if you had to pay the true environmental costs. Besides, a house that is energy efficient AND can produce at least some of the power and heat it consumes would be less expensive to live in, not more.
dleighg
1:14 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Conservation can be a win-win for everyone. We had to replace our gas furnace a couple of years ago. We elected to spend $3k more to get a high efficiency one (and got a $1.5K reduction in our taxes); I've been tracking our energy use since then and we spend roughly half as much during the winter months on gas as we used to; a savings of $300 per month for 5 or so months a year. But many people don't take the long view and only look at that initial $3k, instead of the long term savings.
Scott Walters
7:57 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Here is the bottom line from y warped perspective....
The funniest thing I have ever seen is when protesters are there with signs....the first one says, "REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT" the second one says, "CLOSE INDIAN POINT".
There people cannot have it both ways. My mother taught me that if you get something new you have to throw something out to make room for it. WHat are we gettign new so that we can 'throw out' Indian point...and not have our electric rates blow through the roof even higher than BHO's cap and trade antics?
If someone can answer that, then fine...until then, I guess we're back to annexing some land, calling it 'ELSEWHERE' and putting all controversial and undesireable items like nuke plants, water treatment facilties and prisons there.
Watchdog
8:22 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
We have enough NATURAL GAS. In this Country to fuel us forever. Hydrofraking has really paid off in spades with the price of Natty Gas coming in at about $2.50 DOWN FROM $8.00 before the increased drilling. We need to get with a Natty Gas Program but every time you start drilling or using any of our natural resources there seems to be some problem with the EW's. (Environmental Whakkos). If Obama gets another term they will probably tell us what to grow and how to grow it since Micheel is already telling us we cannot bring cup cakes into school to celebrate a kids birthday.
Bjorn Olsson
9:59 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
The estimates I have seen seem to suggest gas will last 60-70 years at current production rate, so hardly "forever." And with gas you still face the same CO2 issues you have with other fossil fuels. Oil, coal and gas are AMAZING resources that take millions of years to create. These resources have many great uses as raw material for plastics, etc. Do we really want to just burn it all up for fuel in a couple of hundred years, a blip on both the human and geological time scale?
Watchdog
8:24 am on Monday, February 13, 2012
OH, condoms are OK but not cupcakes.
Don Bartolo
1:44 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
Before you begin supporting hydrofracking, take a look at this article:
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/06/fracking-in-pennsylvania-201006
It details what they're going through in Dimock, Pa. and how their aquifer was contaminated.
Francis T McVetty
2:30 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
Again, if you missed it Marius we are on the subject of Indian Point. What does hydrofracking have to do with it?
Don Bartolo
4:25 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
Francis, Put on your glasses and read the other posts that i was responding to.
I know your position on IP. I understand that you don't want to pay more for electricity. I've heard all of it. My position is that IP does need to be closed but I'm not naive enough to believe it can happen immediately and I understand we need to have a plan. Unfortunately there are obstructionists who don't want to hear anything other than their own opinion.
I believe it's time for me to leave this conversation as communicating with you is just a waste of time.
Francis T McVetty
4:40 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
No it is a waste of time talking about hydrofracking on this forum. It is NOT about hyr drofracking. Unless you can tell me where the plan is to replace the electricity produced by Indian Point, you are wasting our time!!
CK
7:46 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012
I agree with you Marius. And am very surprised to see Greg Ball (R) taking a stand against hyrdrofracking. Thanks for posting the link to the Vanity Fair article. Scary stuff. But as Francis indicates, we're drifting off topic from alternatives to IP so I'll leave it at that I hope you continue to have conversations in other forums and with more people. Think what you will about Francis and Watchdog, at least they are aware of the issues. It's shocking how many people aren't and we need to let them know what's happening in their own back yards.