Indian Point could be a disaster

I was encouraged by the powerful words of our local environmental and climate justice organizations in last week’s op-ed titled “Close down Indian Point.” 

As the first Member of Congress to demand the closure of the Indian Point Nuclear Energy Center, I have worked for years to shut it down.  

The reasons are as numerous as they are obvious. 

If proposed today, Indian Point would never be built where it currently stands. It is far too close to America’s most populous city, and there is no safe way to evacuate in case of an emergency.  

The plant is also located near two seismic faults that together raise the possibility of an earthquake much larger than any anticipated when the reactors were built.  A Columbia University study determined that the Indian Point location is “clearly one of the least favorable sites in our area from an earthquake hazard and risk perspective.” 

The two reactors at Indian Point have spent fuel in their pools containing about three times more radioactivity than the combined total of all the spent-fuel pools at the damaged Fukushima reactors. 

Factor in Indian Point’s dismal operational history, including the transformer explosion earlier this year that resulted in menacing plumes of smoke rising over the facility and thousands of gallons of oil pouring into the Hudson River, and the only sensible conclusion is that the facility needs to close. 

We must work together to ensure that our voices are heard and that our community remains a safe place to call home.

Eliot Engel represents the 16th congressional district, which includes the Bronx and Westchester. He is the senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.