WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today issued the following statement regarding the announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they have approved the new Alert and Notification System (ANS) located in the communities surrounding the Indian Point Energy Center nuclear power plant. FEMA will require one year of acoustic and reliability testing before allowing the old system to be dismantled.

“While it has been more than a year since the deadline passed for Entergy to have a new siren system up and running, I am pleased to hear that the people who live in the surrounding communities finally have an improved alert system in place. I applaud the hard work of Entergy, FEMA, the NRC and our local officials in helping to deliver a new system that promises to be the best in the country, and I look forward to continuing to work with all parties involved as testing continues over the next year.”

Senator Clinton has worked to push both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Entergy to improve safety, security and emergency preparedness at the plant, including the siren system. Senator Clinton added a provision to the energy bill in 2005 to require Entergy to install a new siren system with battery backup in response to repeated failures of the Indian Point siren system due to a lack of backup power. That provision was signed into law in August of 2005.

For more information regarding Senator Clinton’s ongoing efforts to improve safety and security at Indian Point, visit: http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/environment/indian_point.cfm

###