In recent months Entergy, owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, has been part of an aggressive effort led by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the industry's leading lobbying arm and policy organization, to eviscerate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's policy on environmental justice.[1] The NEI, in which Entergy is a major player, is blaming the NRC's EJ policy for stalling proposed projects — a few of which Entergy is involved in. Meanwhile, in a strongly worded letter to the Entergy Corporation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People supported their Claiborne County, Mississippi Chapter's opposition to Entergy's bid for new reactors in Port Gibson, MS on the grounds that the proposal constitutes environmental racism. Finally, as has been discussed often, Indian Point's nuclear fuel cycle disproportionately affects low income communities and communities of color.
All of this comes on the heels of a recent campaign by Entergy which seeks to exploit the principles of environmental justice. Entergy's campaign — which targets elected officials and the low income communities and communities of color they represent in the NYC metropolitan area — touts what they call a solid environmental justice record and falsely claims that closing Indian Point would harm these communities. Entergy was harshly criticized by local elected officials last October when Entergy's campaign targeted Westchester County legislators up for re-election.
"Next time Entergy officials and their friends are spinning tales about the company's environmental justice record and trying to convince local residents that Indian Point is good for them, just remember the strong armed tactics Entergy and the rest of the nuclear industry are using behind the scenes to eliminate environmental justice protections," said Alex Matthiessen, executive director of Riverkeeper. "Local civic leaders and elected officials should demand an end to Entergy's racially divisive and exploitive tactics."
"Entergy's campaign targeting low income communities and communities of color with misinformation is despicable," said Timothy Logan, urban infrastructure coordinator for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. "Entergy's failure to outreach to local environmental justice advocates is further proof of their insincerity," said Logan. "On behalf of members of NYCEJA, a citywide coalition of community-based organizations fighting for environmental justice, we stand in solidarity with the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition in their effort to close Indian Point. The IPSEC coalition has made a concerted effort to address new generation in an environmentally just manner."
"In the guise of defending environmental justice to gain support in Albany, the Entergy corporation has been working to erode federal environmental justice policies," said Christine Vanderlan of Environmental Advocates of New York. "New York's leaders should reject Entergy's sham attempt to justify the continued operation of its nuclear reactors."
"Entergy's attempt to co-opt the principles of environmental justice in their desperate effort to keep Indian Point open is shameful and disingenuous," said Wenonah Hauter, Director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The company's involvement in the effort to disembowel the NRC's environmental justice policy betrays its true intentions."
"Entergy is attempting to hide an increasingly dangerous nuclear agenda behind a divisive smoke screen of environmental justice," said Paul Gunter, Director of the Reactor Watchdog Project with the Washington, DC-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service. "Were Entergy and the industry efforts sincere they would not be seeking to simultaneously undermine national environmental justice policy on all nuclear licensing issues," he concluded.
Available upon request:
Background information is available at http://riverkeeper.org/campaign.php/indian_point – under the press release section
02-06-04 NAACP letter to Entergy criticizing the company's proposal for new reactors in Mississippi
10-24-03 letter from Westchester County Exec. Spano to Entergy criticizing their campaign targeting county legislators and their constituents from low income communities and communities of color
Statements from Westchester County legislators condemning Entergy's campaign
For more information regarding the proposed changes to the NRC's EJ policy visit the websites for Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program at: http://www.citizen.org/cmep/ and Nuclear Information and Resource Service at: http://www.nirs.org