Stop Corrupt Rockland Cty. Chief Govern. Executive VANDERHOEF. Rockland has the highest Property Taxes in the USA, higher even than neighboring Bergen Cty. compared to value of homes. Rockland has the highest Sales Taxes in USA, now at 9%. Yet it still had a $50,000,000 budget deficit last year (it can't be from low taxes, so it can only be from the CORRUPTION BY THE TOP GOVERNMENT THIEVES RUNNING THE PLACE). Further, after 12 yrs. as County Exec., he has no real plan for how to evacuate the county if Indian Point should do a "Japan Scenario". Further he has done nothing to stop Rockland County from being flooded with foreign Haitian Immigration in its Northern Towns -- persons who mostly don't pay taxes and add to the Socialist Government Costs on the rest of us.

Simply stated - there is no reliable way to evacuate anyone - and Indian Point is dangerous. Entergy doesn't want to publish it's financials because the people who will suffer the greatest damage are already paying a premium for that privilege. Please close Indian Point before it's too late.

The 7th paragraph said it all proposed projects and upgrades, when has the government started and completed a project on time in on budget.

The plant is there and the plant is running, and generating emission free electricity. Any changes/upgrades/wind/solar WHATEVER is going to result in money being spent by the utilities which is going to translate into higher rates for me, the consumer. I don't know about anyone else here but I don't want higher electric rates and I'm willing to live with Indian Point to achieve that end. If you're so worried about a potential disaster then move. It's one of the oldest and longest operating nuke plants in the country and there has never been a meltdown. Just because there hasn't been doesn't mean it's impossible but again I am willing to live with the risk if there even is any, if it means keeping the electricity rates down.

No mater what anyone says shutting down Indian Point will cause major increases in uiltity rates. This so call commettee is nothing more than a Coumo mouth piece, saying exactly what he wants them to say.

I felt as though this was a forgone conclusion when the powers that be, not electricity, decided Indian Point must go.

Ok, so moving on: Liz and or any other journalist listening.... How much will the state fund to take Indian Point down?

Or, is the plan to leave the structures as is for the next 100 years as "building art" on the shores of the Hudson River?

Secondly, how much does the state plan to fund the good, professional employees of Indian Point for retraining in new professions and support them until they are retrained and have a new job? No, this isn't a question of socialism - it is business and if the state wants Indian Point closed, it must budget for the transition of hundreds of lives it has effectively made jobless.

For Peekskill (and other towns) what are their plans to recover lost tax revenue from Entergy? Is Peekskill Celebration now history? Same too for the Pumpkin Blaze and any number of other very generous festivals that are only made possible by Indian Point's parent org.?

So we have an over-abundance of energy supply? I find this VERY hard to believe- I bet that due to the current state of the economy, energy usage is way down- but what happens when the economy ( when Bama gets thrown out ) begins to truly recover ? We're gonna need energy to grow- this is typical short-sighted nonsense.

Indian Point is safe.

It is a vital piece of our energy infrastructure. It must be maintained properly and watched carefully. Newer technologies and materials exist to build a better plant, and one day an energy company should do that.

Giving up on nuclear power would be like the caveman giving up on fire.

Only Al Gore would do that. I could just see him . . . "Don't burn that wood, you may cause the globe to warm! Wait . . . wiat . . . don't do it!"

BS

SAVE THE HUMANS!

Let's learn from the recent disaster in Japan. Furthermore, imagine what would have happened on 9/11 had one of the planes hit Indian Point. Having a nuclear facility close to New York City is sheer madness. I believe that Governor Cuomo shares that opinion. Hopefully he'll be able to close it down.

I don't think we should give up on nuclear energy, however we're talking about one specific plant here. First when it was built it was expected to operate for a maximum of forty years and it has accomplished that mission. But, more importantly if we look at Japan as an emergency response and mitigation exercise we see that they needed to evacuate a fifty mile radius. That presents a couple of problems as 50 miles from Indian Point takes in all Manhattan north of 34th Street. Then 50 miles in the other directions threaten the water supply for all of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and New York City. I agree we need nuclear but I think this one is just in the wrong place.

Submitted to Rep Cahill via e-mail on his State website:
I am flabbergasted by the portrayal of your committee's review of Indian point as objective. Further, your conclusions that the plant can be closed without material disruption to pricing, environmental impact, etc. are untenable and unbelievable. Clearly, you have an agenda that is focused on closing Indian point as opposed to really understanding the economic and ecological impact of such action. Shame on you for your political pandering.

What I note is that the story just quotes the Assembly press release for the "key findings", none of which seem to favor the continuing operation of Indian Point. They find absolutley no good reasons for keeping the plants on line? Economic cost of power vs the price of new generation? Uncertainty in the ability to install new transmission or build new plants? Environmental impacts of the alternatives? How do these folks feel about natural gas pipelines under the Hudson? Not to mention natural gas recovery in general? Seems like the Assembly report is a bit on the niased side and the story not to inquisitive about what really seems to be campaign rhetoric from politicians.

The bottom line- we are going to need to meet increasing energy demands- the environmental loons have no real near term solutions that work- they are against oil pipelines, coal, gas drilling and transmission lines, and of course nuclear. Wind?Solar? Until some major technological advances take place- coal, gas and nuclear work best.

The conclusion reached by these two anti-IP Assemblyman is false. IP’s closure would have devastating impact on local businesses, something they did not consider.
With 1,100 employees and an annual payroll of $140 million, not to mention hundreds of contractors, their impact on local purchases – at gas stations, diners and delis, hardware stores, and entertainment is almost incalculable.
Additionally, Indian Point accounts for a large portion of the local school tax levy and municipal taxes. It is safe to say that without that tax revenue, local homeowners would have much less disposable income to spend at local businesses.
Indian Point’s workers live and have family in the local community and believe it is a safe plant. The federal government’s independent inspectors – who have offices at the plant and inspect the plant every day, determine it is a safe plant. I believe it is safe and understand its immense economic importance to our area. Without IP, there will be an enormous amount of economic suffering and hardship in this region, not to mention dirtier air and higher electricity costs.

Why not build a few thousand 2.5kw windmills on the mountain tops in southern NY state? Wouldn't that be a beautiful and eco-friendlyway to replace a nuclear plant?

More expensive electricity is the probable outcome of shutting IP which is almost certainly the outcome some of these politicians want. Less supply and the same (or increased) demand = higher prices. There is an argument to be made that IP might be too close to NYC and the surrounding suburbs but why don't they build additional power generation capacity before shutting this one down? The more I read about the environmentalists the more I am starting to think that they'll only be happy when we're all living in caves again, using no electricity.

Stan,
Speaking as an environmentalist I can emphatically state that we don't want to live in caves. I do think we need to tread a little more lightly on this planet of ours simply because it's the only one we have. I too think it's too densely populated to safely keep IP where it is so we've already reached some common ground. If both sides of this issue could work together I think we can come up with a plan but we're both going to have to compromise.

If you believe anything that comes out of Sheldon Silvers's Assembly then you would believe that there is sufficient electric generating capacity to replace Indian Point without a cost increase. If there is so much excess capacity, why is Con Edison's rates still one of the highest in the nation after deregulation?

I live less than five miles from IP. We keep KI tablets in the house and in the car. I have less than zero concern that ANY accident or mishap at IP would ever result in any threat to me and my family that those KI tablets would not address. People who look at Japan and project the Japan scenario onto IP do so with no basis in statistical reality. The comprehensive economic cost of closing IP/managing the defunct site to the surrounding community and to the New York Metro area far exceeds the extremely marginal benefit from mitigation of minuscule risk accomplished by closing the plant.

Is it always about the money?
There is an Native American Proverb that goes, "When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money"
The risk to Fukashima was minuscule but yet it happened.

Francis, this will be my last post on this thread because I dislike banging my head against the wall. No, I do not believe that there will be a tsunami at that point on the Hudson and now by golly you've convinced me. We should put millions of people at risk so that Francis can save $25.00 a month on his electric bill. As to your habit of tying everything to the President, all I can say is get ready for another four years because Newt and company aint gonna make it.