News Archive 2004

Indian Point increases security
BY MATTHEW JABLONSKI
THE STAR
January 1, 2004

Not much changed inside the walls of Indian Point last week after the federal government raised the national threat alert status to level orange, according to Entergy's Director of Communications Larry Gottlieb.

The number of patrols inside the gates of Indian Point was slightly increased and access was limited for non-employees, but for the most part, Gottlieb said, the nuclear power plant, like New York City, has maintained the same high level of security since Sept. 11, 2001.

"We don't yo-yo with the changes in national alerts because we treat it as if we remain on high alert," he said.

"That's the way we feel is the best way to protect public health and safety. I'm not trying to discredit the change in color level. But in reality, a lot of what changes is what goes on outside the walls of Indian Point."

Gottlieb said the National Guard's presence at Indian Point is "substantial," but couldn't elaborate on the number of personnel.

More important, he said, is its consistent presence at the plant — the National Guard hasn't left since it arrived soon after the Sept. 11 tragedy.

"A lot of other states move their National Guard back and forth from their nuclear plants depending on the color level," Gottlieb said.

"We have built them into security plans and training programs. From a planning and training perspective it's a big advantage to keep those folks in place because they get to know the place they are protecting."

Gottlieb said the naval militia also patrols the area around Indian Point. The U.S. Coast Guard, along with local, county and state police also maintain a presence in the surrounding area.

Being federally licensed is a distinct advantage when it comes to alert status and knowing what's going on in the country or the potential for a terrorist attack, according to Gottlieb.

"We have an advantage over a lot of other infrastructure," he said. "A lot of our interactions are with the FBI, Homeland Security, all of whom have toured Indian Point and inspected security."

With regard to nuclear facilities, Gottlieb said, there is nothing different about this latest gathering of intelligence compared with other times the threat level has moved to orange.

In fact, he said there has never been a "credible" threat made against Indian Point before or since the attacks.

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