Fire at the Nearby Nuke Plant

If you’ve been following my adventures for long, you already know that last year I co-created a short film about the absurdity of the evacuation plan for the aging Indian Point nuclear reactor that is just 10.5 miles from my home. The film, The Plan(?) has gotten some recognition in film festivals, including the Uranium Film Festival last month in Quebec City.  The Plan(?) also received a nomination for best writing from the Short Film Awards.

What you might not know is that when we were making the little movie last year, we learned about a situation that would make the nuke plant even more dangerous and un-evacuable than it already is. Spectra Energy Corporation of Houston Texas is moving forward with a huge high pressure gas pipeline that will pass within 105 feet of Indian Point.  Gas pipelines have a significant history of fires and explosions. We knew that this gas pipeline/ nuke plant combo was worth doing some homework on and we decided to make another short film.

We have been filming since March and we’ve got quite an  explosive story here. One that has not been picked up by the major media networks. As we’ve been editing our footage, we decided this story is too big to be a little film and are now planning to make a longer movie.

And then yesterday, the nuke plant caught on fire. I first learned that smoke was billowing out of Indian Point very soon after it had started. I was alerted by my friends on social media. I quickly checked out Twitter and found frightening images of smoke coming from the iconic domes of Indian Point.

My filmmaking pal, Andrea, suggested we drive up to the nuke plant so that we could capture some footage of our own.  To me, that felt like that could be a really dangerous idea, so I vetoed it. Besides, the light was fading, it was late in the day.

For the first time since I’ve been fully aware of the very real danger that this nuclear facility poses to the NYC metro area, I was frightened. Our little nuke evacuation movie was a light hearted attempt to discuss a real problem. Adding a super dangerous gas pipeline to the mix in the years ahead multiplies the danger dramatically.

The fire was caused by a transformer that exploded. The plant went into automatic shutdown mode. It caught fire again from the heat and was re-extinguished. No one knows what caused it.

NY Governor Cuomo was at the plant more than once giving press conferences. He said: “This plant is the nuclear plant that is closest to the most densely populated area on the globe. If something goes wrong here, it can go very wrong for a lot of people.”

Local TV stations and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino,  have been silent. Perhaps this is because they both receive generous funding from Entergy, the corporation that owns the nuke plant.

If this fire at the nuke plant made  you the least bit uneasy, like it did me, then please do something.

Pick up the phone. Make a couple of calls. To the Senators, Congressional representatives, elected officials, Homeland Security, Governor Cuomo, and County Executive Rob Astorino.

Tell them:

#1 The Indian Point nuclear power plant needs to be closed down for good.

#2 Stop Spectra Energy’s high pressure, flammable explosive gas pipeline from going anywhere near this aging nuke plant!

It only takes a couple of minutes. It is surprisingly easy and can be far more effective than petitions and emails.

You will feel empowered by this simple tactic. Try it, you’ll like it!

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 845-875-4585

US Senator Charles Schumer 914-734-1532

Congresswoman Nita Lowey 914-428-1707 or 845-639-3485

Congressman Eliot Engel 914-699-4100

Congressman Sean Maloney 845-561-1259

Governor Andrew Cuomo 518-474-8390

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino 914-995-2900

Secretary Jeh Johnson, Department of Homeland Security 202-282-8000 (ask to be connected to comment line/voice mail)

Speak up!

Even if your voice shakes, it is essential that we all speak up in the face of injustice and danger.