White Plains, NY — The members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators are calling for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to open a hearing into the proposed transfer of the license for the Indian Point Energy Center to a decommissioning company.

Legislators have serious concerns about the proposed transfer of the nuclear power plant from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. to Holtec Decommissioning International.

Those concerns include questions about whether or not Holtec has sufficient resources to safely complete the decommissioning, concerns about Holtec's plans for safety measures during the decommissioning, concerns about whether or not money in the Decommissioning Trust Fund is adequate to support the cost of decommissioning, and concerns about long-term health, safety and environmental monitoring on the site, among other issues.

In a letter to NRC Chair Kristine L. Svinicki on Friday, all 17 Legislators voiced their concerns as well as their support for a formal NRC hearing into the proposed transfer.

The decommissioning of Indian Point, which is expected to begin shut down later this year, has profound implications for the economic well-being, health and safety of the people of Buchanan, where Indian Point is locate, surrounding communities, and all of Westchester's nearly one million residents. Any decision about the transfer of the plant to a decommissioning company must be fully vetted and must include a significant and meaningful opportunity for the people and the people's representatives to voice their concerns and have their concerns addressed.

NRC regulations allow stakeholders who may be affected by a transfer to request a public hearing before the NRC acts. It is expected that New York State will formally petition the NRC for such a hearing. In their letter, the Legislators voiced their support for an NRC hearing. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as Representatives Nita Lowy, Elliot Engel and Sean Patrick Maloney separately wrote to the NRC Chair last week also supporting a hearing.

In the letter, Westchester Legislators also backed a request from County Executive George Latimer and other local elected officials for a local public hearing on the transfer application, and for an extension of the 30-day period for public comment on the proposed transfer. That public comment period is set to expire February 24.

The full text of the Legislators' letter can be viewed here: https://westchesterlegislators.com/images/Newsroom/2020/nrc_letter_indian_point_hearing.pdf