50-mile radius would include most of the Hudson Valley
NYC, parts of NJ and CT, and even a corner of PA
ALBANY – In the wake of the transformer fire at the Indian Point
nuclear power plant Assemblyman Senator Marcos Crespo (D-Bronx) Monday
talked up his proposal to require a state study of disaster preparedness
plans.
Crespo’s proposal would have homeland security and emergency services officials study current emergency preparedness.
The senator noted that the federal emergency zone around nuclear plants,
including Indian Point, is a 10-mile radius. He would like that expanded
to as much as a 50-mile radius.
“We can’t force the feds; we can ask the feds,” Crespo said. “I think we as a state can definitely ensure that a larger plan be prepared and we can regulate that and ask for that. The federal regulations are a 10-mile radius. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t require a plan that encompasses a larger community. You can’t go less than the 10 miles, but you can certainly ask that more can be done.”
A companion bill to Crespo’s has passed in the Assembly, but has yet to make it through the Senate.
Crespo said he has toured Indian Point in the past and was impressed by the degree of security and planning Entergy has in place at the facility.
