Perhaps smarting from yesterday's smack down when the NRC granted FUSE USA and Sherwood Martinelli's request for a 60 day extension of time to file, Entergy came out of the gate swinging at today's Environmental Scoping meeting, though few of thier punches landed with any real passion of effect. First, the Benedict Arnold of the environmental movement was in attendance at the meeting, and came up to introduce himself to Sherwood...found his question, "Do you know who I am?" rather amusing. Yes Patrick, we know who you are, now ask us if we care...from this writer's perspective, old dried up has been comes to mind, but your own mileage as relates to how you view yourself may vary.Early on in the afternoon session Entergy trotted out a wet behind the ears employee Ron Carpino who offered to give concerned citizens TOURS of Indian Point. After his presentation and offer, Remy went and met him, and got his agreement to have FUSE USA members taken on a tour of the facility. Trust me, was not long after that James F.X. Steets, Entergy's external communications manager, made a liar of this young man when he CANCELLED our trip before it ever got off the ground claiming SECURITY CONCERNS. Reactor tours for Paul Newman and any one else, as long as you are not associated with FUSE USA, IPSEC, Riverkeeper, Clearwater, or any other grassroots group with serious concerns about Indian Point. What's the matter there Steets old boy, afraid the TRUTH WILL GET OUT.
Not surprising, as they have USED THIS TRICK IN THE PAST, the meeting was barely up and running and Entergy was again playing the old BRING IN THE RINGERS TRICK. It's a simple trick...throw an organization money, then have them come in beating their drums and chests and demanding the site be renewed in the name of all that is holly. The only think missing was a motley looking dog and violins.
In the name of full disclosure, perhaps NY AREA and SHARE should divulge how much of their funding is coming from Entergy, and their assorted industry friends, including NEI. I don't pull my punches here, tell it just the way it is. No one likes this card, and no one likes a Judas selling their speeches and support for 30 pieces of silver. To see a corporation like Entergy trying to use it to gain and advantage in the License Renewal Process is, simply stated, despicable.
Here's is the long and short of it...bring in and outside community group representing a different population base, and have them state publicly for the record that the closing of Indian Point would instantly see coal plants opened and/or built in their community down river, thus seeing their people die of cancer. First, lets be real...there are SEVERAL other options. Secondly, why should our community have our people dying of cancer to supply another community with their electricity?
One speaker in favor of Entergy being relicensed first spoke about his grandmother of 80, and how he did not want to have to call her, tell her that coal plants were moving into their community...as far as I know, none of the Citizens Groups calling for closure of the plant have called for the siting of coal plants to replace Indian Point's volume or base load contributions. At the end of his presentation he pulled out his cell phone, and in his closing remarks delivered a somewhat veiled threat...close Indian Point, and his phone could reach out to 1000 fellow members of his organization. Lets do the math...21 million people living within 50 miles of Indian Point, and he is ONE OF THEM, and can reach out to 1,000 more. Unless my math is wrong, that phone call would reach significantly less than 1/10th of one percent of those that would be negatively effected if a significant nuclear event or terrorist attack occurred at Indian Point.
I said it at the meeting, and will repeat it here...using dirty tricks as and ace in the hole in Entergy's attempts to relicense these aging facilities is wrong, and those associated with its play are in my book scum. It pits one community against another, creates divisions that are unnecessary and divisive in nature. Those that take exception to my blunt statements get over it. In the effort to find the truth, perhaps those groups standing up in support of Entergy need to come clean, and divulge just how much of their funding is coming directly from Entergy, and indirectly from the Nuclear Industry...only fair that one share their bias and/or prejudice now isn't it?
Other KEY NOTES...
Patrick Moore sure got what he deserved this evening when FUSE USA President Susan Shapiro called him on a lie during his public presentation. Richard Barkley got upset, but when Susan Shapiro stuck to her guns, he allowed her to make it clear to the audience just who this man REALLY WAS/IS. By the way Patrick, care to share with us here how much you were paid for today's appearance, and who paid for your travel and accommodations? Was it Entergy, or to cloud the truth, was the tab run through CASEnergy with the tab indirectly paid for by NEI? Speaking of NEI, they really should stop their false advertising on the local airwaves here in Westchester county.
What was disturbing about this event, is that Rani Franovich and another NRC employee immediately accosted Susan, escorted her out into the other room, and briefly tried to keep her from returning to the meeting. I would like to know from Dale Klein, is it normal for NRC employees to ASSAULT citizens in our attempts to exercise our rights to involvement in the process, or is this SPECIAL TREATMENT reserved only for board members of FUSE USA? Hopefully, Geri Shapiro, Hillary Clinton's Regional Director will look into this sordid and unfortunate event, and see to it that the NRC employees involved in this ruckus are properly disciplined. Not surprisingly, we have had past problems with the female NRC employee involved in this event...it is obvious that citizens had best start documenting these events, and further, start showing up at meetings with our DIGITAL CAMERA so that we can have such attacks out on YouTube in a matter of hours.
While Geri Shapiro is looking into this issue, perhaps she can also look into the FALSE statements of Entergy employees today. After all, she was there when and OPEN INVITATION TO TOUR INDIAN POINT was made to the audience. Yet, as soon as FUSE USA availed itself of this opportunity, Steets rescinded the offer less than ten minutes after the invitation had been extended...does make one wonder what Entergy has to hide at Indian Point if they are afraid to let a knowledgeable group of local stakeholders tour the facility.
As was predicted, the Carpenters Union folks were again out in full force, paid to be in attendance as Entergy used another ace in the hole in trying to stack the deck, and present FALSE SUPPORT for relicensing. What was/is VERY INTERESTING, is just how far away these union workers are being brought in from...more interesting, Entergy is now stooping to bringing in Union Workers that have never worked at Entergy, will never work at Entergy, and know nothing about Entergy.
Be interesting to know in closing who Richard Barkley brown nosed in the industry for the set up of informational tables at this meeting. How convenient for Entergy to surround the local groups on all sides with PRO ENTERGY or agency tables, instead of putting us each in our own separated areas of the entry hall as has been the format AT ALL OTHER NRC meetings at this facility. Seemed just a bit suspicious to me, and one has to wonder who is calling the shots, Entergy or the NRC? Since we all know that NRC reads this blog, lets reiterate one important request that was made today from the State of New York...going into the process, we want any statement or issue omitted from the EIS Scoping identified, and we want to know the reason why it was turned down for consideration. Further, we want this information UPFRONT, not at the tail end of the EIS Scoping process when it is took late to seek redress.
By the way readers, if you MISSED today's free for all, you can still submit written comments on what should be in the Environmental Scoping. The deadline for submission of comments is OCtober 12, 2007. Send them to the following NRC email addresses, and send them often:
indianpointeis@nrc.gov
rsb1@nrc.gov
fxc@nrc.gov
chairman@nrc.gov
Do FUSE USA a favor, and send us your comments as well at uraniumhotspot@aol.com Also, don't forget, we are always willing to accept anonymous information or concerns about Indian Point, either at this email address, or sent to our mailing address found at http://www.fuseusa.org/ As the old saying goes, DROP A DIME ON ENTERGY!
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