To everyone concerned about Indian Point:

To everyone concerned about Indian Point:

Entergy, the multi billion dollar corporation which owns Indian Point has convened a panel to assess the conditions at Indian Point. It is important to understand that this is NOT the Independent Safety Analysis we have been calling for, nor does it have anything to do with re-licensing. However, this panel might be able to suggest improvements in day-to-day operations. The panel is designed to look at current operating conditions at both plants. They have asked that members of the public send their questions and concerns to safety@nyindianpoint.org.

Members of the IPSEC core group attended the meeting on the 28th to observe the proceeding and get a clearer picture of what might be possible and how honest it might be. Individual panel members have assured us that they take their job seriously and will report any safety issues they find. While this may or may not be true, it now seems strategic to give them as much grassroots input as possible. It can be done quickly and easily by email. It is necessary to do this NOW because their evaluations will begin on Monday, May 5th. Anything you can think of that may be a compromise of standards or an environmental threat should be submitted. In theory, the more they see, the more they will dig, and potentially correct.

Your response to this request is important and appreciated in the struggle to close Indian Point. Here is what you need to do NOW:

Write to safety@nyindianpoint.org, and let the panel know about your concerns in regard to the reactors at Indian Point.

If you need some ideas, take a look at the list below, decide what is most important to you and focus on that.

Thank you so much for your help.

In Solidarity,

The IPSEC Steering Committee

PS - Please pass this note on to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to write to safety@nyindianpoint.org. Thanks again!

* the flawed evacuation plan that James Lee Witt told Entergy in 2003 could not work. There appears to be a new plan developed by the four counties' Bureaus of Emergency Services (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange) that calls for a 2-mile radius evacuation plan and 5 miles downwind. The rest of the people in the 10-mile radius would be placed on alert and "sheltered in place" until such time that evacuation might be required. Is this your idea of a good plan? Please tell the panel.

* the radioactive water leaks into the Hudson River are still going on. Entergy made its final report to the NRC in February, about where the leaks come from - but they didn't stop them.

* the detrimental effects of aging resulting from metal fatigue, erosion, corrosion and shrinkage. Such age-related degradation can affect a number of systems. The effects of aging can overstress equipment, unacceptably reduce safety margins, and lead to the loss of required plant functions, including the capability to otherwise prevent or mitigate the consequences of accidents with a potential for offsite exposures.

* Environmental justice issues such as fishermen bringing home and eating fish they catch in the Hudson River because they can't afford not to. Minorities imprisoned in Sing Sing prison in Ossining - what is the plan for them in the event of an evacuation?

* Airborne and water-borne radioactive emissions from the plant, both planned and unplanned, which release radioactivity into the environment. The National Academy of Science has now found that there is no safe level of radiation exposure, and all radiation exposure is cumulative. And it causes cancer. If you live within the 10-mile radius of Indian Point and someone in your family has been diagnosed with cancer, please include that information.

* Indian Point's vulnerability to a terrorist attack.

* Indian Point's vulnerability to an earthquake, as the plant is sited on two earthquake faults.

* The production and storage of high level radioactive waste. There is no place to safely store it and we need to stop producing it.