May 27, 2020

Assembly Member 95th State Assembly District 2 Church Street Ossining, NY 10562

Dear Assembly Member Galef:

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter dated March 11, 2020, expressing concerns about natural gas transmission pipelines near the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County, NY.

A recent report by the NRC’s Inspector General raised issues with the NRC’s analysis of the potential hazard posed by the Algonquin Incremental Market Project natural gas pipeline. The NRC took the Inspector General’s findings seriously and commissioned an independent evaluation team made up of both NRC staff and external experts, whose work was peer- 1 reviewed by a member of the NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.0F The team completed its report on April 8, 2020, and found that Indian Point remains safe, but that several NRC processes need to be improved and Entergy (the nuclear power plant owner licensed to operate the plant) needs to revisit some overly optimistic assumptions it made in analyzing the pipeline (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML20100F635). On April 9, 2020, I sent the team’s report to the Commission (ADAMS Accession No. ML20099F775). On April 13, 2020, I tasked the NRC staff to act on each of the team’s recommendations (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML20104A723 and ML20104A388).

In your letter, you requested that the NRC retract the analyses previously shared with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). While we agree with several of the Inspector General’s detailed findings on prior NRC and Entergy analyses, the conclusions from the NRC staff’s 2014 inspection remain valid. The NRC staff also has confidence based on an updated analysis that ruptures of the pipelines near Indian Point are unlikely. However, should a rupture occur, adequate equipment would be available to shut down the plant and maintain it in a safe condition. Given these factors, the NRC deems it unnecessary to retract or otherwise modify the inspection report that had previously been shared with FERC. The NRC did provide FERC with the evaluation team’s report.

Your letter referenced the desire for a public meeting on these issues. We intend to hold such a meeting near the Indian Point site once the current restrictions on large public gatherings due to the COVID-19 public health emergency are changed. We will keep your staff updated on when a date and location is scheduled for the meeting.

1 ACRS was established by the Atomic Energy Act to review and advise the Commission with regard to the licensing and operation of production and utilization facilities and related safety issues, the adequacy of proposed reactor safety standards, technical and policy issues related to the licensing of evolutionary and passive plant designs, and other matters referred to it by the Commission.

S. Galef 2

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding Indian Point with the NRC. I share your commitment to assuring public health and safety, including the protection of nuclear power facilities from natural and manmade hazards.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. You can contact me or David Skeen, Evaluation Team Lead, at (301) 287-9056.

Sincerely,

Digitally signed by Margaret M. Margaret M. Doane Doane Date: 2020.05.27 17:57:48 -04'00'

Margaret M. Doane Executive Director for Operations

Docket Nos. 50-003, 50-247, 50-286

Identical letter sent to:

Assembly Member Sandy Galef Assembly Member 95th New York State Assembly District 93rd New York State Assembly District 2 Church Street 100 S. Bedford Road, Suite 150 Ossining, NY 10562 Mount Kisco, NY 10549

Assembly Member Thomas J. Abinanti Assembly Member Kenneth P. Zebrowski 92nd New York State Assembly District 96th New York State Assembly District New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member Ellen C. Jaffee Assembly Member 97th New York State Assembly District 90th New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member Amy R. Paulin Assembly Member Jonathan G. Jacobson 88th New York State Assembly District 104th New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member Assembly Member Walter T. Mosley 81st New York State Assembly District 57th New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member Assembly Member Michael A. Montesano 91th New York State Assembly District 15th New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol 75th New York State Assembly District 50th New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248 Albany, NY 12248

Assembly Member 52nd New York State Assembly District Albany, NY 12248