Just What Is Going On In Fukushima After Reactor Meltdowns?

The EARLESS RABBIT  
Nuclear Industry Does Not Want You To See

As an article in the yesterdays New York Times can attest to, I still keep my ear to the ground where all things nuclear are concerned, even though I have taken a long needed break from that fight, from tilting at the windmill that is Indian Point, and for good reason.  Much like the fracking battle, one learns some hard truths when fighting against big industry, and government agendas, including the truth that both government and big business lie regularly, spread propaganda, and will simply outspend the grassroots till they pulverize us into the ground as they try to break our spirits.  That said, I still keep my ears open, and have friends that call me now and then when there is news they think I should hear.

I got such news today, an old friend reaching out upon returning from a trip to Japan.  Seems that the Japanese government, the nuclear industry over there, and specifically TEPCO are trying to do a very good job not just at putting out propaganda, but at hiding certain truths in the name of preserving the world wide nuclear industry. So, have a few simple questions I would like Japan to answer...

1.  Is it true that some Japanese women who were exposed to radiation during/after the Fukushima meltdowns are being forced to get abortions to keep birth defect statistics within acceptable norms?

2.  Is it true that a lot of children are being born with Fukuhima radiation fallout caused deformities, or being still born?

3.  Is it true that fauna within the nuclear fallout area are being born with disturbing birth defects...IE, one report I have heard concerns a rabbit born without ears?

Seems to me as the NCR forces communities to play host to antiquated dangerous reactors for another 40 years, as the NRC deems it safe to allow shut down reactors to be placed into SAFSTOR rather than be decommissioned for a period of 60 years or more because companies like Entergy have failed to put away adequate funds for decommissioning of these aging relics, it would seem to me it is time for some HONEST TALK with the general public...just WHAT ARE THE DANGERS WE FACE in being forced to play host to our own FUKUSHIMA ON THE HUDSON here in the Hudson River Valley...by the way, how many who are reading this realize it took a scant 3 days for radiation to travel 175 to Toyko after the worst nuclear accident in world history last year?

So, I would invite the Japanese government to stop by my blog for SOME STRAIGHT TALK...we want to know about the rabbit with no ears.

MEANWHILE, in BREAKING NEWS....NRC To Little To Late

The NRC just hours ago issued NEW ORDERS to nuclear reactors that would require them to have the capability to monitor temperatures in the reactor (NOT MAINTAIN, but MONITOR), and to have HARDENED VENTS in the Domes...uhhhh....hardened vents so you can RELEASE RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED PARTICULATES INTO THE AIR IN PEEKSKILL?...the same particulates that contributed to my wife's breast cancer?

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued safety orders to the nuclear industry that are the first of this scope since orders issued following the Sept. 11 attacks. The orders require all nuclear reactors to take significant steps to fulfill safety requirements in the event of a “beyond-design-basis natural phenomena” and are based off of NRC’s findings in their studies of the Japanese Fukushima Dai-ichi accident that occurred on March 11, 2011.

On March 12, 2012, the NRC issued two immediately effective orders that pertain to all of the county’s nuclear reactors. It also issued a third order to all power reactor companies operating boiling water reactors. Entergy’s Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan has two pressurized water reactors and is subject to all three orders.

Neil Sheehan, NRC spokesman was quoted as saying,  “It is a big deal and there was a great deal of deliberation by NRC staff and commission itself,” and went on further to state, “This is not something the NRC does lightly we have variety of regulatory tools at our disposal and one of those are orders…There has been nothing along these lines since Sept. 11.”

For the record...Neil Sheehan has lied right to my face on numerous occasions, so a word to the wise, I would not trust him any further than I could throw him, which is about less than one inch.  Neil is all about NEIL, and preserving his job regardless of the lies he might have to utter, or the answers he routinely side steps at public hearings with his patented, "We'll have to look into that further and get back to your AFTER THE MEETING".  Good to see your stripes have not changed there Neil.

NRC's DEVIOUS PLOT...Force Communities To Play Host To Relic Nuclear Reactors For 150 Years

Fukishima on the Hudson (Indian Point)

Over years, I have been quite involved in various nuclear issues, primary among them being a serious thorn in the side of both the NRC and the dangerous nuclear reactors known as Indian Point 2&3 which are owned by Entergy, or should I say owned by a empty shell LLC dummy corporation who funnels all the profits up to the mother ship that is Entergy.

Occasionally, some reporter reaches out to ask my opinion on this or that involving things of a nuclear nature, and yesterday was one of those days.  Matt Wald of the New York Times reached out wanting my opinion on the NRC's most devious plot ever...forcing those communities who are hosting nuclear reactors to be saddle with these reactors for a period in excess of ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS!  Lets qualify this...what this reporter wanted to know, was how I felt/feel about the NRC's plans to change the rules in such a fashion as to allow all nuclear reactor owners to place their reactors (once shut down) into SAFESTOR for a period of 60 years before beginning decommissioning.

Safe Enclosure (or Safestor(e) SAFSTOR): This option postpones the final removal of controls for a longer period, usually in the order of 40 to 60 years. The facility is placed into a safe storage configuration until the eventual dismantling and decontamination activities occur.

Let's lay out some facts...

1.  Reactor licensees are required to have ADEQUATE FUNDS set aside to decommission reactors at the end of their licensed operating period.  

2.  Most nuclear reactor licensees DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE FUNDS set aside for decommissioning,  despite the fact they have been reaping BILLIONS in profits from America's aging fleet of reactors.

3.  Companies like Entergy have decided they can allow the money they have set aside to GROW INTO BEING ADEQUATE if they could just push decommissioning back for an EXTRA SIXTY YEARS by putting them in SAFESTOR.

4.  Complicate all this with the reality that neither the NRC, DOE or the industry have figured out how to solve their waste stream issues, and thus are looking for a way to again push the ball down the road for say another SIXTY YEARS.  *note...what the DOD, DOE and the NRC want to do is reclassify the waste streams as POTENTIAL USE RESOURCES, thus alleviating the DOE and industry's responsibility to dispose of it...they did this we Depleted Uranium.

So, how do we communities end up being forced to play host to these aging, leaking, cancer causting reactors for some 150 years...lets do some simple math.

The Original license period for these reactors was 40 years.

The NRC is rubberstamping the license renewal applications of almost everyone of America's 104 aging reactors in the name of a Nuclear Renaissance for another 20 years.

NEI, NRC and the DOE have secretly plotted to extend these license renewals out to 40 years after all of the license renewal applications have been approved, denying we the public any say in it.

Add these up, and the reactors that we agreed to play host to for a period of 40 years have doubled their stay in our communities to 80 years.

Now, lets assume here that 40 years out from now in say 2052 these ancient relics are finally cooled down and shut off.  If the NRC grants the nuclear industry what they want, instead of forcing them to abide by the contractual obligations made with our communities, every reactor licensee will be allowed to put their reactors into SAFESTOR for an additional sixty years.  So a 40 year agreement is now pushed to a 140 year agreement, host communities FORCED to play host even though the original contracts call for immediate decommissioning once a reactor is shut down.  Curious here what the odds are of Entergy even being around in 2112? (can we say ENRON?)

So, finally in the year 2112 (supposedly) the decommissioning will begin, and in a best case scenario will continue on for AT LEAST TEN YEARS.  Do the math, and there is your 150 year total.  

Do not believe the NRC can effectively argue the fairness of taking say the 300 acre Indian Point site in Buchanan, and turning it into an economic DEAD ZONE for some 70 years AFTER INDIAN POINT SHUTS DOWN.

Write the NRC, express your outrage at this devious plan to allow reactor owners to put shut down reactors into SAFESTOR for a period of sixty years....curious here NRC COMMISSIONERS...IP 1 has been in SAFESTOR since 1978...are you going to allow ConED and Entergy to push off the decommissioning of this reactor until they get around too decommissioning IP 2&3...that would create a legal precedent saying it is SAFE to put a reactor into SAFESTOR for at least 134 YEARS....is that your super duper dastardly plan?  Will that 60 year SAFESTOR be doubled yet again, just as you seem to double EVERYTHING ELSE?

Should communities be forced to play host to a shut down reactor for an extra SIXTIES YEARS in the name of letting the company SAVE MONEY (earn more profits).  Should the NRC basically waive the contractual obligations made to communities in the name of CORPORATE PROFITS?

"Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

This is an oft quoted phrase, supposedly spoken by Jesus, representative of the line between Church and state...what then do we say to define that line between government and personal rights and property? More importantly, just what is Caesar's? Just what is God's, and what is ours as individuals?  In these troubling times we live in, these are not intellectual questions to be discussed over martinis by those fortunate enough to be in that one percent who seem to rule over the rest of us...Modern day Caesar's bent on accumulating their wealth at the expense of the proverbial uncleansed masses.

Down through the ages of Industrialized America there is example after example of individuals, groups, and communities being forced to pay the ultimate price in the name of progress, or in the name of National Security. The latest example being the current war over Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing, though moving backward from that point, the examples are numerous with perhaps the most notable one being poorly regulated nuclear energy, another the extraction of coal in states such as West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.  

Energy...At what cost?

There is a term in environmental enforcement that is defined on the NRC website called ALARA.  This acronym is short for, "as low as (is) reasonably achievable."  The verse goes on to say, "which means making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to ionizing radiation as far below the dose limits as practical, consistent with the purpose for which the licensed activity is undertaken, taking into account the state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to benefits to the public health and safety, and other societal and socioeconomic considerations, and in relation to utilization of nuclear energy and licensed materials in the public interest.

Who decides what is reasonably achievable...can we say big business, can we say government?  Just who and what is being protected in this ALARA...too often it is not the public, it is not the host community, but instead it is company profits, and a government agenda.  Here is a fact...the United States Federal Government knows that a certain number of people in a host community will contract a cancer living within close proximity to a nuclear reactor, but they A) do not care, and B) will not admit that some people will die in the name of nuclear energy as long as their licensee is within whatever current exposure limits are established under this concept of as low as reasonably (read affordable for the company) achievable standard.

Should rendering to Caesar that which is Caesar's include giving up our lives in the name of the "Greater Societal Good", in the name of a "National Energy Policy"?  At what point are individuals, or small communities allowed to say no, at what point are we as oppressed communities allowed to use force to stop what is the systematic rape of our communities and our resources...in the case of Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing for example, we are being asked to risk our health, our environment, our pristine rural way of life, and our drinking water supplies in the name of Natural Gas Industry profits, in the name of the United States of America's Energy Policy.

Let us be clear...there are health risks that will come with Natural Gas wells being drilled in our communities. Some of those risks will contribute too, or cause the early death of some at risks citizens.  Let us be clear, there will be accidents, and there will be examples where communities or private citizens water supplies will be negatively impacted.  Should any government be allowed the right to force us to accept these risks, should they be allowed to expect us to render unto Caesar that which Caesar feels is a right of entitlement because such sacrifices being asked of us are good for the "Greater Society".  Or instead, if the desires of government place our health, safety and community in danger, should we be allowed to "Just say no"?  If the needs wants and hungers of a greedy capitalist company depend upon the rape of our lands, or in some cases the taking of them, should we not be allowed to use force to stop such wrongful actions?

Perhaps as I approach those proverbial end times, more of my life over than life left to live, I have not the patience for the lies being perpetrated by both government and industry.  Perhaps I have seen too many people have their lives shortened, their quality of life stolen away by industrial processes which are poorly regulated by government.  Perhaps I realize in being silent, we are losing our collective voice and with that lost voice we are losing not just our freedoms, but all that which is ours.  Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, but the time has come to redefine just what it is that Caesar should be allowed to claim as his own.

Judge Rules Vermont Cannot Shut Down Dangerous Entergy Plant

Entergy...Vital, Safe, Secure?  THINK AGAIN

Lets not mince words...Entergy, in my opinion, is one of the most corrupt, dishonest companies in the nuclear industry, and it is my belief that the judge has erred in denying the citizens and government of Vermont their right to shut down the ailing plant.  

So the question is, what should Vermont do...my answer...violate the judges order,  use State Troopers, or if necessary the National Guard troops to forcibly shut down Vermont Yankee.  For those of you who think such talk is radical...leaving a dangerous reactor operating is far more dangerous, and if troops could be used to kill students at Kent State in the 70's for no good reason, surely using troops in 2012 for the GREAT REASON of shutting down a failing nuclear reactor that could kill people should be justified. 

The time has come for states to TAKE BACK OUR RIGHTS...on immigration (think illegal aliens), on natural resources (think fracking), and on nuclear energy...everyone knows that the NRC is rubberstamping license renewal applications to SAVE THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY with little if any concern for the local communities being forced to play host to these dangerous aging nuclear relics, so maybe it is time we deploy some basic self preservation, and do whatever it takes at a state and local level to shut down unwanted industrial complexes and dangerous nuclear reactors.  What is that Federal Judge going to do...hit the state with a contempt of court charge?  Sometimes, for the safety of ourselves, our children, and our communities, we have to take the law into our own hands, and this seems like one of those times.

How Long Can New York Dodge The Double Barrel Shotgun That Is Indian Point?`

Indian Point...Our Chernobyl On The Hudson

Earlier this year a major earthquake coupled with a Tsunami caused the worst nuclear reactor accident the world has ever seen, Chernobyl paling in comparison to the nuclear fallout that has been and is being experienced after the TEPCO company experienced nuclear meltdowns of both reactors and spent fuel pools at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan. Just a few weeks ago the East Coast of America experienced an unexpected 5.8 on the Richter Scale earthquake that forced the shutdown of the North Anna plants owned by Dominion Power...in initial reports, the company, much like TEPCO lied about the severity of the damage at these reactors, telling both the NRC and the public that everything was fine.

Entergy, TEPCO, Dominion Power...THEY ALL CHEAT...can we risk that?



Not surprisingly, Dominion has not always operated lawfully. The energy giant has been subject to a slew of lawsuits and government violations. In its quest to perpetually increase profits, the effect of this corporate behemoth’s operations on the health and welfare of the public is notalways taken into consideration. For example, Dominion skimped on costly pollution-control equipment at one of its fossil-fuel power plants—a violation of federal clean air laws—and ultimately agreed on a billion-dollar settlement with the federal government over the infraction.



But the ability of regulators to keep Dominion in check is not absolute; indeed, the integrity of state officials has, in many instances, been compromised by the power of Dominion and other large energy companies. The company is even trumping its government regulators in the state of Virginia by pushing through legislation that the regulators themselves say is bad for consumers of electricity.

Almost two weeks later we found out that everything was not EXACTLY FINE. Twenty Five of the Twenty Seven 100 Ton Dry Cask storage units set on a concrete pad to cool for thousands of years had moved during the earthquake...something the industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission believed (wrongly) could never happen, though anti-nuclear activists had warned both industry and the supposed experts at the NRC of this very possibility for years...especially in regards to such dilapidated reactor sites as the Indian Point Reactors (owned by Entergy) that sit atop not one, but two earthquake faults.



When we have made claims that a major earthquake, or significant storm surge could see these poorly designed and engineered Dry Cask storage units, each filled with 20 times more radioactive wastes than Hiroshima, could be floating down the proverbial river, we were accused of being alarmists of the worst kind. When we have laid out an almost identical accident scenario as the one that took out the TEPCO reactors should New York take a direct hit by a major Hurricane, we again were chastised as alarmist, and yet we just missed that exact scenario when Hurricane Irene weakened before coming on shore this past Sunday.



We in the Anti-Nuclear movement have been portrayed as alarmists, our accident scenarios dismissed as all but mathematically impossible to occur. Yet, the NRC commission is now signaling the industry to expect a “generic letter” to all 104 nuclear power plants requesting a new evaluation of the manner in which earthquakes were analyzed and incorporated into their designs...first, lets not request new evaluations, lets demand them, and in an expedient fashion, as there is too much at stake, especially here in the New York area where millions of lives are being risked as the NRC plays Russian Roulette with the two poorly placed, poorly designed reactors known as Indian Point.



Let us as example go back to the original licensing of Indian Point...on a parallel track, but not yet approved, Earthquake criteria were being formulated and moving through the process of approval. Indian Point's license was approved prior to the official adoption of these rules, and thus they did not have to meet them...if they had, said reactors would not now be sitting on the edge of the Hudson River just 24 miles from Manhattan. Additionally, the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster has shown us that the industry's nuclear fallout modeling is completely off base and unrealistic. In just three days, radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Accident had reached Tokyo, some 180 miles from the epicenter of the disaster, which is almost four times the 50 mile fallout circle established for a significant incident here in America. All of this should be great cause for alarm as the NRC moves to approve a re-licensing of Indian Point's two functioning reactors.



Indian Point has some very serious problems that the NRC has been effectively ignoring for decades now. The three nuclear plants on the site have miles of underground pipes and conduits-most of these are encased in concrete are completely inaccessible to inspections, and though the NRC does not want you too know this, extremely vulnerable should and earthquake occur. Virtually all three of these aging plants have leaked massive amounts of radioactive water into the surrounding environment, though the NRC protects its licensee by falsely claiming said radiated materials have not contaminated the potable drinking waters of the state of NY.



Fact is, New York’s Indian Point plants have continuously leaked into what amounts to a radioactive lake under the plants, about 25 miles north of New York City. These radioactive contaminates from a 300,000 gallon reservoir that IP 3 sits atop are steadily seeping into the Hudson River. Yet, when citizens file 2.206 petitions on these and other violations at the plant, such as the leaking fuel transfer channel for IP 2, nothing is done, Entergy being allowed to continue operating, being allowed to flout the rules and regulations, simply requesting another waiver/exemption every time they cannot meet the rules as they are written.



Many here in the Hudson River Valley have been led to believe we are safe, even if there is a significant incident or accident at Indian Point...fact is, we have been mislead, and it is time for us as citizens, as affected stakeholder communities to weigh into the issue, time for us to insist that the license renewal application for these two reactors be denied so that proper decommissioning can begin.



Some Important Facts

1. The Price Anderson Act precludes all citizens in America from getting insurance to cover losses from a serious nuclear incident such as the one that occurred in Japan earlier this year. We are told to believe that our government will step in through FEMA and make us whole again. FEMA is broke, and estimates should an accident occur at Indian Point show a price tag in excess of $500 Billion dollars.

• The Price-Anderson Act bestows a twofold subsidy on the nuclear industry. First, the Act artificially limits the amount of primary insurance that nuclear operators must carry – an uncalculated indirect subsidy in terms of insurance premiums that they don’t have to pay. This distorts electricity markets by masking nuclear power’s unique safety and security risks, granting nuclear power an unfair and undesirable competitive advantage over safer energy alternatives. Second, Price-Anderson caps the liability of nuclear operators in the event of a serious accident or attack, leaving taxpayers on the hook for most of the damages. This makes capital investment in the nuclear industry more attractive to investors because their risk is minimized and fixed.
• Consequently, the Act is a dual-edge sword for the public that it purportedly protects. The legislation was intended first of all to bolster investor confidence, whereas victim compensation is secondary. Price-Anderson establishes only phantom insurance for the public, then provides a real bailout mechanism for the nuclear energy industry by reducing its need to pay for insurance, subsidizing the industry at the taxpayers' expense.

2. The nuclear industry's finacial hit, through a collective insurance pool, should a major terrorist attack or accident at a nuclear facility occur is only $10 Billion dollars...barely two percent of the monies it would cost to make New York whole again if there is an accident at Indian Point.



3. Indian Point owned by Entergy does not, and cannot meet the current Earthquake criteria established for plant safety...the NRC is now admitting that those criteria may not be adequate to protect human health and the environment.



4. One of the planes that flew into the the World Trade Centers flew right past Indian Point on its way into Manhattan on that fateful day almost ten years ago...how much more tragic would 9/11 have been if one of those terrorists had flown their plane into one of Indian Points twin reactors, or had crashed directly into a spent fuel pool?



5. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted Indian Point exemptions from conducting some tests that they cannot pass until after they are relicensed...tests that would make them in ineligible for a license renewal.

The time has come for all New Yorkers to demand the full shut down and decommissioning of Indian Point...we simply have to much at stake to do otherwise.

Should The NRC Close Indian Point Reactors Ahead of Hurricane Irene?

Two words...STORM SURGE.

If you are tracking Hurricane Irene, it could make landfall almost anywhere from South Carolina northward, with New York currently one of the potentials for landfall of this Category Three (perhaps a category four) Hurricane. There is a very good chance that New York could take a direct hit, and if we do, the storm surge has the potential to be catastrophic...it could be even worse if the power goes out to Indian Point, and their back up generators get flooded in a very similar flooding to that in Japan in the Fukushima disaster that has created at least three nuclear reactor meltdowns. A look at the NOAA website under the search term Storm Surge, you find the following quote:

Along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane.

Which begs the question...is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure? Right now, NOAA does not have storm surge maps for this storm, was told today that it is much too early to create those kinds of maps with any accuracy as they are not sure yet what track this storm is going to take as it takes its run up the East Coast. Would it make more sense for the NRC, our state government to order the SAFE SHUTDOWN and COOLING of Indian Points reactors until after this potentially catastrophic storm has passed? We look at Eliot Brenner's, NRC's Public Affairs Officer, own words spoken when trying to convince people that Earthquakes were not a serious issue for Indian Point (though it sits ATOP a fault line):

"For example, at nuclear plants along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the greatest water threat is hurricane storm surge, not a tsunami."

Look at yesterday's earthquake...the strongest earthquake in our area in the last one hundred years. Yesterday's earthquake took out two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station, and Twelve other nuclear power plants in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland also declared unusual events Tuesday but did not shut down.



Hurricane Irene presents some potentially GREAT RISKS to the problem plagued Indian Point reactors owned by Entergy should New York take a direct hit by a Cat 3 or 4 Hurricane. The NRC's own staff have stated publicly that the storm surge from a Hurricane present the greatest risk to Indian Point. The storm surge holds the potential to flood the building housing the back up generators, the storm surge also holds the potential to CLOG UP the intakes that supply these two reactors with their 2.5 Billion gallons of daily water supply needed to cool the reactor core. So the question is posed, should these two reactors sitting along the edge of the Hudson River be shut down now as a precaution?

"BUCHANAN — To respond effectively to a Fukushima-like event, the Indian Point nuclear plant must fix several problems, including the potential buildup of explosive hydrogen gas and poorly placed firefighting and flood-protection equipment."



Some of Indian Points CRISIS SHORTCOMINGS INCLUDE:



• At Indian Point 2, hydrogen containment devices, which are supposed to be tested every other year, haven't been tested for five years.

• Fire protection equipment in locations that are not "seismically designed," or protected from a quake.

• Inspectors identified potential vulnerabilities associated with seismic events.

• At Indian Point 3, not enough firefighting equipment if severe events included both reactors simultaneously.

• In on-site availability of submersible pumps and sandbags needed at certain flood levels.

• Carbon-dioxide tanks used for firefighting are not seismically qualified.

Shouldn't we do a SAFE SHUT DOWN and cooling of the reactor cores now, rather than risk what could happen? Have we not learned our lesson from the TEPCO nuclear station disaster in Japan? Have we not learned that, contrary to NRC's false assurances, these reactors are not built to withstand all of Mother Natures onslaughts?

Did you Feel the Earth Move?

Californians take most earthquakes for granted, but New Yorkers don't expect to feel their buildings shaking. At about 1:50PM today, several Main Street, Mountaindale residents felt a tremor that was related to the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Virginia. The quake was 4 miles deep at its epicenter. Tremors were felt as far north as Bath, ME, and as far south as Hampstead, NC, with several Canadian reports as well.

For those locals who felt it, it was a very strange sensation. At 51 Main Street, the building shook and creaked a bit, but all the art & furniture stayed put. Things were different in the Washington/Virginia area where there was structural damage reported. In some cases, buildings were evacuated as a precaution and Amtrak had railway service disruptions. There was also an interruption in cell phone service in the New York City area, where traders in the New York Stock Exchange could also feel the tremors. Of a more serious concern are the nuclear power plants on the East Coast, which were reportedly shut down and listed as in safe condition.



For those who do not know it, Indian Point's reactors sit on a earthquake fault...in fact, if the reactors were seeking a new license today, instead of a license renewal, said license could not be issued. Meanwhile, both the NRC and Entergy assure us the general public that the chances of a earthquake occurring on this fault are highly unlikely...sort of like the unlikely chance today that the people in Virginia would experience a 5.8 on the Richter Scale quake. Perhaps now we can get the NRC to explain to us why they refuse to consider earthquakes in the re-licensing of the Indian Point reactors. Guess we need to wait until a natural disaster similar to the one that took out the TEPCO reactors in Japan before our regulatory folks are willing to look at this very real danger.