Senator Greg Ball to tour Indian Point Power Plant and Public Hearing to follow

Albany, NY (April 5, 2011) –Senator Greg Ball (R, C, 40th District –Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess) will tour the Indian Point Power Facility on April 14th at 9:00am.  Following the tour, Senator Ball will share his findings at a public hearing held at Stony Point Community Center.

“After watching some press hungry politicians recently talk off the cuff about shutting down Indian Point immediately and replacing the facility with windmills and gas plants, I’m amazed at the lack of clarity on the issue of nuclear power. This issue is too important to leave to press releases and sound bites. While I have toured the Indian Point facility in the past, I look forward to the tour on April 14th at Indian Point to get a renewed first hand unvarnished view of Indian Point’s security infrastructure and emergency preparedness plans,” said Senator Ball.

Senator Ball has called on Entergy to testify at his Homeland Security hearing to be held on April 8th from 10:00am to 3:00pm at The Senate Hearing Room located at 250 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York City. There will be a press conference at 9:30am.

Senator Ball has confirmed that three Entergy executives are scheduled to testify including: Fred Dacimo, Vice President for License Renewal, Dan Gagnon, Coordinator of Security and Michael Slobedin, Director of Emergency Programs.

During Senator Ball’s Homeland Security Hearing on April 8th, he and other senators on the Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Committee will hear from Entergy’s executives as they provide testimony on Entergy’s Indian Point Security Program and Emergency Preparedness Plan.

“I’m pleased that Entergy has agreed to testify at our Homeland Security Hearing.  Much disinformation has been spread recently by politicians seeking news coverage, rather than real answers. Indian Point is a huge employer and large provider of cheap energy, and closing them tomorrow as some have foolishly suggested would not begin to address the larger spent fuel issue, and would be immediately devastating to the economy of the region and beyond. Protecting our homeland from the threat of terrorism should rise above cheap political theater, and the real facts surrounding security at Indian Point need to be addressed maturely and rationally,” said Senator Ball.

As Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the New York State Senate, Senator Ball is committed to assessing the state of security in New York, determining what has been done as the ten year anniversary of 9/11 approaches and determining what needs to be done to improve infrastructure and to fix any programs that are currently impeding New York’s security.