Letter to the Editor: Since When is Safety Consciousness a Bad Thing?

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 (Cuomo Angry at Latest Indian Point 2 Shutdown, June 24) indicated a risk to the public—when, 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.

In assailing the folks who operate Indian Point for their conscientiousness, you might as well come out against regular car inspections too. We have our cars maintained routinely even when they’re running fine, because that’s when we can identify potential problems and nip them in the bud before they become real problems.

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. Attempting to portray the shutdown in any other way is not only inaccurate; it distracts attention from the crucial benefits that Indian Point’s continued safe operation provide to all of us who need abundant, reliable electricity and cleaner, purer air. No other source of baseload power can match Indian Point’s virtues—and losing the plant would be a very bad thing indeed.

Sincerely,

Rob DiFrancesco

Rob DiFrancesco is the director of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA), a diverse coalition of more than 150 business, labor, and community leaders and organizations. Entergy, the owner of Indian Point, is a member. Founded in 2003, New York AREA’s mission is to ensure that New York State has an ample and reliable electricity supply and economic prosperity for years to come.