County Executive Andy Spano today announced that Westchester will not participate in state and federal drills of the Indian Point evacuation plan until Entergy gets serious about the safety of county residents.

 In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Spano said that he is tired of Entergy’s lack of commitment and appalling lack of preparation during the practice of plans essential to the safety of residents in the event of an accident at the nuclear power plant. The drills are run alternately by the state and federal governments each year.

Pointing to the most recent state mandated practice drill, Spano said that Entergy, the operators of the plant, were poorly prepared and did not appear to take their responsibilities seriously.

 “On November 7th, throughout the day, time and time again it was demonstrated that Entergy was not serious about its participation. The Entergy staffers assigned to the practice drill were unprepared to participate, unfamiliar with the process and uniformed about the drill scenario,’’ said Spano. He added, “When I took office, I saw the need to enhance emergency preparedness. I established the Department of Emergency Services, hired talented emergency planners and created a state-of-the-art emergency operations center. And even though I have expressed my concerns about being able to evacuate residents in a fast-breaking scenario, I am committed to doing the very best we can with the emergency plan we have in place.  From the events of the day, it was clear that Entergy does not share this commitment to public safety.”
                                                                            
 Spano said the Entergy staffers had not been trained or prepared sufficiently in how to carry out their responsibilities and how to communicate in a timely fashion. He said Entergy’s inattention to the drill was part of a larger problem that included the company’s inability to supply working technology to protect residents such as a siren system or emergency phones. During the most recent drill, notification was delayed about an hour because Entergy’s phones did not work.

 “The new emergency phones purchased and supplied by Entergy, which we rely on for immediate notification and on-going crisis communication, failed yet again,’’ Spano said. “Can you imagine if this happened in a real incident?’’ He added, “How can it be that a company that makes over a half billion dollars a year in profits from Indian Point alone, can’t hire the appropriate experts nor allocate enough funding to buy a phone system and a siren system that work? It appears they are committed first to profits, then to safety.’’

Spano said Entergy’s lack of commitment was particularly galling since the plant operators only contribute about $412,000 a year to the planning process with the taxpayers having to pay the balance of the expense.

The county will not shirk its responsibility to its residents, he said, and will continue to plan, train and practice drill on its own. However, it will not participate in state or federal drills until the NRC/FEMA can compel Entergy to improve its performance.

“The number one duty of a chief elected official is to protect public health and safety. I cannot continue to ignore Entergy’s lack of preparation and commitment to emergency preparedness,’’ said Spano. “If the NRC can compel Entergy to implement additional onsite protection, then the NRC or FEMA should do the same for offsite protection. The protection of our residents is certainly as important as protecting the plant.”
                      
                  ATTACHED IS TEXT OF LETTER SENT TO FEMA, NRC AND SEMO
On Wednesday, November 7th, Westchester County participated in a New York State evaluated exercise of our Indian Point Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan. Despite my reservations about the plant’s continued operation, I committed more than 150 county employees to participate at the expense of disrupting normal county business because, as County Executive, protecting the public is my highest priority. But based on my observations of events that day, it is clear that Entergy does not share this commitment to public safety.

As such, I am informing you that Westchester County will no longer participate in State or Federal evaluated Indian Point drills until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or FEMA, or both, compel Entergy to commit the attention, personnel, technology and funding necessary to ensure offsite emergency preparedness.
                                                                                  
On November 7th, throughout the day, time and time again, it was demonstrated that Entergy was not serious about its participation. The Entergy staffers assigned to the practice drill were unprepared to participate, unfamiliar with the process and uninformed about the drill scenario.

I am not blaming them; I am sure they were placed in a situation with little to no preparation or training about how to carry out their responsibilities, and how to communicate in a timely fashion. I am concerned that the recent downsizing of Entergy has resulted in the loss of numerous talented individuals, many of whom we interacted favorably with in past drills. Moreover, the scenarios proposed were not credible and Entergy supplied equipment did not work properly.

The new emergency phones, purchased and supplied by Entergy, which we rely on for immediate notification and ongoing crisis communication, failed yet again. The drill scenario was underway for about one hour before we received any notification. Can you imagine if this happened in a real incident? Totally unacceptable. Then the drill ended abruptly moments after a major radiation leak was thought to be controlled, disallowing participants to respond with critical discussions on topics such as contamination, if the evacuees could be returned safely or other actions appropriate to the scenario.  Did Entergy shortchange the time to save the cost of paying employee overtime?

How can it be that a company that makes over a half billion dollars a year in profits from Indian Point alone, not hire the appropriate experts nor allocate enough funding to buy a phone system and a siren system that work? It appears they are committed first to profits, then to safety.
 
When I took office, I saw the need to enhance emergency preparedness. I established the Department of Emergency Services, hired talented emergency planners and created a state-of-the-art emergency operations center. And even though I have expressed my concerns about being able to evacuate residents in a fast-breaking scenario, I am committed to doing the very best we can with the emergency plan we have in place.
I assign commissioner level decision makers and essential staff to these drills. On November 7th, I served as Westchester Incident Commander, Deputy County Executive Schwartz relieved me in my role during the day and Chief Advisor Tolchin coordinated the media/PIO operations. I expect the same commitment from Entergy. Especially when only a tiny fraction of Entergy’s profits – a little more than $412,000 a year - goes to support the Indian Point planning efforts in Westchester County. The balance of this major expense is borne by our taxpayers.

The number one duty of a chief elected official is to protect public health and safety. I cannot continue to ignore Entergy’s lack of preparation and commitment to emergency preparedness. If the NRC can compel Entergy to implement additional onsite protection, then the NRC or FEMA should do the same for offsite protection. The protection of our residents is certainly as important as protecting the plant.

Although Westchester will not participate in these drills until changes are made to our satisfaction, we will continue to plan, train, practice and drill on our own to ensure the health and safety of our residents. We expect and will accept nothing less than Entergy’s full partnership in our planning and preparedness efforts.