NRC says NY nuclear plant's impact manageable

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The environmental impact of the Indian Point nuclear power plant is not great enough to justify closing it down, federal regulators concluded Friday.
In a 2,200-page report, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found no environmental reason to block new licenses requested by plant owner Entergy, a decision that company spokesman Jerry Nappi called "a significant milestone.
"We are confident this places us on a path that will result in license renewal," he said.
However, the process is far from over. Entergy must go through months of hearings next year and persuade the state to issue a water quality permit that has so far been denied.
The plant needs a permit to renew its federal licenses and continue operating into the 2030s. Without new licenses, both of Indian Point's operating reactors would be shut down by 2015.
Indian Point sits on the Hudson River 35 miles from Manhattan. Critics say its location in a heavily populated area makes it a terrorist target and makes successful evacuation impossible.
Opponents of the new licenses were skeptical of the report. More at:
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