Study: Indian Point Has Poor Evacuation Plan For Area
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
The nearby Indian Point nuclear power plant is unsafe and unnecessary, according to an environmental group's report.
The analysis by Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council says Indian Point in Westchester County has a poor evacuation plan for the millions of people who live nearby.
The report says a natural disaster could be more catastrophic for Indian Point than it was for the Fukushima plant in Japan, which was hit by an earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.
The report also says Indian Point's energy could be replaced with natural gas plants and renewable sources, like wind and solar.
"We don't think the risk is worth taking and that there are alternatives out there, and so if you have the alternatives, why take the risk?" said Ashok Gupta, the NRDC director of energy policy.
Jerry Nappi, a spokesman for the plant, disputed the findings.
"We operate safely. There's multiple independent inspectors who work here every day, who inspect the plant on a daily basis, who could shut the plant down tomorrow if they felt it was not safe," said Nappi.
Licenses for Indian Point's reactors are set to expire in 2013 and 2015.