ENERGY ADVOCATE SAYS INDIAN POINT PRECAUTIONS WERE WISE

To the Editor,

Since when is safety-consciousness a bad thing?

Those who oppose Indian Point like to shout that the brief precautionary shutdown of Indian Point 2 last week, shortly after it had reopened, indicated a risk to the public. In fact, precisely the opposite is true.

For the past five years, the plant has received the highest safety rating from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).This rating is based on having detailed and thoroughly rehearsed preparedness plans; on continually training and retraining the team; and on routinely pursuing meticulous and rigorous inspection and maintenance.

In other words, Indian Point looks constantly for any potential problems and solves them before they become problems. That’s why and how they discovered-and swiftly fixed-the small water leak that led to the shutdown in question. You wouldn’t wait for your brakes to fail before you get them checked. Likewise, the dedicated professionals at Indian Point will never stint on their vigilance. The fact that Indian Point’s team discovered a minor issue and shut down the plant out of an abundance of caution proves the effectiveness of their culture of safety.

Sincerely,
Rob DiFrancesco
Director of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance