COMMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE
MEMBERS PRESENT: B. Ryan (Chair), L. Bronz, M. Kaplowitz, L. Mosiello, R. Wishnie
LEGISLATORS: U. LaMotte
BOARD STAFF: Rafael Vega, Program Specialist
S. Vanderberg, Secretary
OTHERS: B. Randolph, CE’s office; M. Slobodien, J. Steets, D. Fay, Entergy Nuclear Northeast; H. Specter, RBR Consultants, Inc.; H. Corbin, M. Rose, C. Verber
The meeting was called to order at 2:21 p.m.
Mr. Ryan said this meeting, the first since September 11, 2001, would be a continuation of the dialogue first entered into last year between the Committee and Entergy Nuclear Northeast. Mr. Ryan said members would be interested in an update on events, which have taken place at the plant since the last meeting as well as their position on the current debate within the County with regards to them.
Mr. Steets, Communications Manager, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, said the Entergy Corporation has put great effort into developing a better understanding of the emergency response plan, and has implemented changes, which they felt, would enhance it. Due to discrepancies they have with certain aspects of the interim report released by Assemblyman Brodsky, they have hired a specialist to
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analyze it and have begun to circulate information based on his findings.
Among the initiatives taken by Entergy to assist in the effectiveness of the emergency response plan; Mr. Slobodien explained they have conducted an evacuation travel time study. This study consists of 3 parts.
Part 1: Is a characterization of the road network of all 4 Counties in areas around Indian Point. This study provides analytical information on factors such as road size, capacity, intersections, and traffic lights that can be used in a computer generated model to help calculate evacuation times based on still other parameters. This phase has been completed.
Part 2: Utilizes a computerized mapping tool called “visual risk” to analyze all road network information as well as the impact of all current and planned roadwork and assess, in real time, optimum routes and strategies during an emergency. The State Department of Transportation and the County’s equivalent are assisting this phase. Once completed, this tool will be provided to the County’s Department of Emergency Management.
Part 3: Encompasses all the analytical work, including the evaluation of all road network information; which will enable a consultant to predict evacuation times, routes and methods for a variety of circumstances; such as people not only exiting but entering the 10 mile radius, multiple vehicle households, multiple waves of evacuation and the impact of intra-zone movement. Entergy has hired KLD (a Long Island based firm) for this task.
Going forward, Mr. Slobodien said Entergy is looking to implement the State Department of Transportation’s ability to instrument certain
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bridges with the technology to count cars and assess bridge capacity into it’s own visual risk program in the future.
Mr. Slobodien said in an effort to work with the County and its changing philosophy and methods on evacuation, Entergy would conduct studies would be conducted on rates of compliance, loading curves would be considered and parental decision to pick up children would be factored into all evacuation assessments.
In addition, Entergy intends to provide the County with the results from their planned traffic control study. Wherein, via an intersection control device, traffic would be monitored in a circumference greater than the existing 10-mile radius, enabling the County to develop a traffic control strategy.
Mr. Slobodien said it was his understanding the County would be considering a revised zone approach and felt Entergy’s efforts would be helpful to this end. Mr. Slobodien said KLD’s deliverable is due at the end of the year.
In response to Mr. Kaplowitz, Mr. Slobodien said it was his understanding the County would be using a different zone approach, he was unsure however if the new zones would extend beyond the 10-mile radius, or if that were the case anywhere else in the Country.
Mr. Slobodien said Entergy had begun many of the studies suggested by Assemblyman Brodsky via a letter to Mr. Slobodien dated 1/29/02.
In response to Mr. Slobodien, Mr. Wishnie said Mr. Ryan had also suggested an independent be hired to review all progress made and asked, if hired by Entergy, how can this person provide a truly independent overview. Mr. Steets said ensuring the proposed studies are done accurately and thoroughly was Entergy’s only
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motivation for hiring an independent consultant. Mr. Wishnie said he felt it would have been helpful if the Board had been allowed to participate in the selection process. Mr. Slobodien said he was willing to consider Mr. Wishnie’s suggestion.
In response to Mr. Kaplowitz, as to the de-certification of the evacuation plan Mr. Slobodien said…
In the event the plan was not supported on a County level, the responsibility for a plan would fall on the State.
In the event the plan were not supported on a County or State level, Entergy would have 120 days to construct a compensatory plan, which could in fact be accepted by FEMA.
However, neither scenario would result in the closing of the plant.
In regards to the airplane, which recently flew near the plant, Mr. Steets said it was his understanding the plane never descended beyond the 2,000 feet restriction imposed by the FAA. In the event plant security notices a plane lingering in it’s vicinity, FAA would be notified and it would assess the situation and the plant would respond accordingly. Mr. Slobodien said he would provide the Committee with a copy of the report on the incident if; indeed one had been filed.
Herschel Specter, independent consultant to Entergy Nuclear Northeast
A licensed professional engineer, and resident of White Plains, Mr. Specter’s credentials include:
Degrees
Applied Mathematics, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn Nuclear Engineering, MIT
Employment
Atomic Energy Commission
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International Atomic Energy Agency
New York Power Authority
His expertise includes the fields of:
Source terms, (the radioactive component of an accident) Emergency planning
Power plant design, safety analysis, and risk based regulation
Mr. Specter felt Mr. Brodsky’s comments fell into 3 basic categories.
Those that were constructive, those which were the result of a general misunderstanding of the science of emergency planning, and those that were based on outdated sensationalism.
Mr. Specter said a greater understanding of the science would resolve a lot of concerns.
Mr. Specter said the instantaneous radial release of nuclear activity after an incident that many people envision was inaccurate. Instead, the dispersion would occur in a “plume” or a smokestack like fashion. He said although Mr. Brodsky noted this fact, he did not follow through with the difference the ramifications of this type of release would be as opposed to the inaccurate radial type.
He said this difference would be profound. Due to natural forces the plume, would get weaker as it moved away from the point of release. He said even a daytime release, (which is generally greater than a night time release), would only cover a fraction of the emergency-planning zone. Consequently anyone outside of the plume would not be at radiological release.
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In response to Mr. Wishnie, Mr. Specter said the size of the incident would have no affect on the shape of the plume because it is shaped by meteorological conditions. Mr. Specter said there would be no radiological risk to anyone outside of the plume deposition area and the amount of radiological matter in the County’s reservoirs would be below the maximum permissible concentration.
The 3 types of health effects caused by direct radio contact are:
Early fatalities, death within 60 days of exposure
Early injuries, possible hospitable within a year of exposure
Long-term health effects
Mr. Specter said the main premise of emergency planning is to assume a large release of activity has occurred and what the possible health effects would be. He said health effects lessen the greater the distance from the point of release.
For instance, everyone within a 2-mile radius, and down wind 5 miles of Indian Point would be subject to early fatalities and evacuation. Those located between 5-10 miles away, the early injury range, would be advised to take shelter. Once those closest to the plant were moved, everyone else could be relocated.
Assuming there was such an incident, he felt it would best to give the public information as to the location of the plume and this information could be gathered simply enough.
Mr. Specter said he felt there would be 0 fatalities if everyone participated in the plan, however the group most at risk would be those persons within the plume who are transit dependent. He felt this group should be concentrated on.
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Mr. Specter said although Mr. Brodsky’s report briefly touched on the long term effects on the land, this was beyond the scope of emergency planning. He said however, some part of the land would be contaminated for a very long time and would be allowed to be re-
inhabited, other land would be less contaminated and people of a particular health criteria would be re-occupiable. He said the range would be dependent on the amount of the release.
Mr. Ryan thanked everyone for the overview of the issues, and as there were still lingering concerns on the subject, Mr. Ryan asked Committee program specialist Mr. Vega to arrange a follow-up meeting in the near future.
With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 3:20 p.m.