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News Archive 2003 INDIAN POINT FEAR-MONGERING
New York Post
Editorial
February 4, 2003
Just how far will activists go to close down the Indian Point
nuclear power plant in Westchester?
Pretty far, it turns out,
Even to the point of jeopardizing public health and safety.
Believe it or not, that was one of the findings of a key
report last month that assessed the plant's emergency plans.
"In pursuit of their agenda to close Indian Point, some
have misused" data from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
"presumably to frighten and alarm the public," said
the report by the former head of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), James Lee Witt.
Why would anyone want to "frighten and alarm" the
public?
Witt hit it on the head: Because they want the plant closed.
And scaring New Yorkers into thinking the plant is dangerous
is a sure way to do that.
Only, it turns out, there's a cost.
" Misuse of information can lead to behavior that may
endanger public health and safety," said the report.
Specifically, it said that "advocacy groups use language
whose emotional content can increase unnecessary evacuation,
and thus can have adverse consequences for public health"
in the event of an emergency.
How so? By creating hysteria when calm and order are needed
most. By prompting people to flee, when there is no good reason
to do so.
Witt said these groups (which he left unnamed for now) "should
bear responsibility for the potential consequences of public
misperceptions." Along with a number of pols (also unnamed).
"The continuous efforts of a significant number of
elected officials who have made closing the plant one of their
highest objectives" has heightened public concern, but
not public understanding.
Just the way plant foes like it.
After all, anyone who understands the issues knows that shuttering
the plant would be a monumental mistake.
Remember the rolling blackouts that swept through California
two years ago? These were not merely inconvenient - they caused
traffic accidents, stuck elevators, all kinds of medical difficulties.
Would risks to public health and safety go up if Indian Point
came down? Yup.
Because, at the moment, there's no backup energy source planned.
None.
On the other hand, there's essentially no significant risk
to the public of keeping the plant open. Even the Witt report
acknowledges that its criticisms can be addressed short of
a shutdown.
Gov. Pataki, who hired Witt amid the heightened post-9/11,
election-year frenzy, has essentially punted the question
to the feds. FEMA is expected to produce a new report this
month.
Here's hoping it emphasizes the danger from all the hysteria-mongers.
And gets on with the business of assuring New Yorkers that
their energy is safe, sound - and in sufficient supplies.
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