Westchester Lawmakers Demand Expansion of Indian Point Evacuation Zone
Westchester legislators want the Indian Point evacuation zone increased from 10 to 50 miles.
New legislation in Westchester County aims to address some of the concerns arising from Japan’s nuclear disaster.
County lawmakers Tuesday introduced a bill calling on federal regulators to expand the evacuation zone around Indian Point from 10 to 50 miles.
Board of Legislators Chairman Michael Kaplowitz said the nuclear disaster in Japan warrants additional precautions around Westchester’s nuclear reactor. Kaplowitz said Americans in Japan are being warned to evacuate at least fifty miles from nuclear reactors at Fukushima. He said the same plan should exist in the New York area in case of an emergency here. “Anything could go wrong at Indian point and we don’t have a plan to deal with it,” said Kaplowitz.
Indian Point spokesman Jerry Nappi said such legislation is premature. He said officials need to better understand what happend in Japan before moving forward with changes to U.S. nuclear power operations “Right now however, there’s a lack of good information of what happened” said Nappi.
