On Thursday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license request for a new nuclear power plant to be built near Augusta, Georgia. It's the first new nuclear power plant to get a green light from the government since the Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979. Go Isotopes! Now nuclear power enthusiasts are spinning this faster than an overheating centrifuge, heralding the licensing as the dawn of a new era in nuclear energy. more ›

Yesterday morning, one of nuclear power plant Indian Point's reactors was shut down to "repair a malfunctioning cooling pump." Apparently there was a leak from a pump! The reactor is still offline today, but don't worry—the Journal News reports, "The reactor works at about 550 degrees Fahrenhei... so after the shutdown engineers needed to let it cool enough to assess the damage... The shutdown started about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.Indian Point 3’s production of electricity remains unaffected, company officials said." more ›

So you've got yourself a troubled nuclear power plant 35 miles from one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world. The Governor of the state and many more want to shut down the plant but you want to renew your licenses. Who ya' gonna call? Why, The Mayor of 9/11 Town himself! Yup, starting next week Entergy, which runs the Indian Point power plant is going to start running ads touting the plant's safety starring one Rudolph W. Giuliani. more ›

Governor Cuomo is confident that we can rid ourselves of the ticking time bomb nuclear power plant Indian Point, which supplies 30% of New York City's power. He's also sure that we can drum up some replacement power in the meantime: "There is no doubt that we need replacement power if we are close to Indian Point. There is also no doubt that we can find it." From where? Cuomo doesn't say, and as the Daily News reports, the governor "avoided direct answers to a number of questions" during an internet chat with constituents. Yes but does he know of the "draw me like one of your French girls" meme? more ›

A nuclear power plant located 27 miles from the epicenter of today's earthquake in Mineral, Virginia has been shut down. Reuters reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission pulled the plug after the 5.8 magnitude earthquake, but another nuclear plant in Surry, Virginia, 103 miles from Mineral, remains operational. Indian Point, the nuclear power plant located 35 miles from New York City, "is operating normally" following today's earthquake, Entergy spokesman Jim Steets tells us. more ›

The safety precautions at Indian Point may be worse than we'd thought. Nearly 40 percent of the nearby nuclear plant—which has been under increased scrutiny since the devastating earthquake in Japan led to a Chernobyl-level crisis around the Fukushima reactor there—has no manual fire suppression systems, like hydrants or fire extinguishers. And 63 percent of the plant is lacking in smoke, heat or flame detectors, the News reports. more ›

Since the devastating earthquake in Japan led to a Chernobyl-level nuclear crisis around the Fukushima reactor there, we've been concerned with the safety of our own nearby nuclear and at-risk plant, Indian Point. We weren't that reassured when we looked at the plant's evacuation plans and the fact that Putnum county is now distributing potassium iodide to nearby residents does nothing to make us feel better. more ›

Ever since the earthquake in Japan caused a crisis with one of their nuclear power plants, reminding New Yorkers that we too have a nuclear power plant about 25 miles from the city, the public has been told two things: that the plant is completely safe, and anyway, it's the "first and top priority" of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Except, uh, the former may not be true, and the latter may be too-little-too-late. more ›

Yesterday Governor Andrew Cuomo, who for years has advocated closing the Indian Point nuclear plant located about 30 miles from the city limits, announced that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was making the plant "its first and top priority" as it reviews 27 nuclear plants nationwide. It makes sense they'd prioritize it, considering the plant is located near the intersection of two fault lines and is closer to an urban area than any other plant in the country. But after Cuomo made the big announcement, the NRC responded with "Wha?" more ›

Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy and Director of State Operations Howard Glaser are meeting with regulators from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today to discuss the risks facing the Indian Point nuclear plant in the event of an earthquake. You'll recall that the plant, which is about 25 miles from city limits, is at the intersection of two different fault lines. But there is nothing to worry about, say the plant's owners and this area man on the street, who gives NY1 the quote of the day: more ›

Now that an earthquake in Japan has caused a "situation" at a nuclear power plant that may take weeks to resolve, some in New York City are remembering that we live closer to a nuclear power plant than any other city in the country. There have been repeated attempts to force the Indian Point nuclear power plant to close in the past (former mayor Rudy Giulian declared it safe, then-Senator Hillary Clinton had her doubts), and now Governor Cuomo is seizing the opportunity to try and close it. It's old news that the plant is at the intersection of two fault lines, but the unfolding catastrophe in Japan may give Cuomo the momentum he needs. more ›

Last night, a transformer explosion and fire shut down Reactor 2 at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, NY, but Entergy, which owns the plant, told the Daily News, "Apparently, there was an explosion, but no fire to speak of. Nobody has been hurt. The plant is in a safe condition." We guess that's why the local fire department was turned away. more ›

The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation denied a water permit for Indian Point, the nuclear power plant in Buchanan, NY, noting that two of the plant's cooling units "do not and will not comply with existing New York State water quality standards." (PDF of letter.) The permit is required for the plant to extend its federal license by 20 years. Entergy, which owns the plant, vows to appeal the ruling and points out the DEC's action is only a draft but environmental advocacy group Riverkeeper says, "This is a huge victory for citizens of the tri-state area, and a devastating blow for Entergy." more ›

If the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester is sold, New York City residents could see their electricity costs increase. And if the deal goes through, the new owner of the aging facility might be able to avoid paying for the eventual decommission of the plant, forcing taxpayers to cover the hundreds of millions of dollars of decontamination costs. more ›

Don't be alarmed, but a reactor at that nuclear power plant 35 miles north of the city was shut down yesterday, after a malfunction at 4 p.m. Details are still sketchy, but it's being reported that the main electrical generator malfunctioned "safely," triggering an automatic shutdown of the reactor. The plant's owner assures WPIX there was absolutely no threat posed to workers, nor to the excellent people of Peekskill. (But for future reference, here's the "Indian Point Emergency Guide.") The incident comes 66 days after another generator malfunction shut down the plant, and 600,000 gallons of boiling, radioactive water turned to steam and was released over the lower Hudson Valley. Also in November, a report found thyroid cancer cases in counties closest to the plant are the highest in New York State, and among the highest in the U.S. more ›

The Department of Environmental Conservation says the Indian Point nuclear plant kills hundreds of thousands--if not millions--of fish and eggs each year. According to the Post, the fish are "sucked to their death by the cooling system." The plant's owner, Entergy, had previously claimed the fish populations were fine. Related: Entergy has agreed to pay NY State $72 million a year through 2014. There are concerns the company's spin-off plans could end up costing tax-payers, but Attorney General Cuomo seems okay with the plan so far, "I'm pleased that in this period of economic belt tightening, my office's vigilance saved the State from being ripped off by Entergy." more ›

A new study from Columbia University's Earth Institute says there is a "substantially greater" risk for an earthquake in the NYC area than previously thought. Per LiveScience, "A pattern of subtle but active faults is known to exist in the region, and now new faults have been found. The scientists say that among other things, the Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones. ." more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that NY State filed papers with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission explaining why the license for the Indian Point nuclear power plant should not be renewed. In fact, Cuomo called the plant a "catastrophe waiting to happen" and said, "I believe Indian Point should be closed and it should be closed now." Here are some of the reasons Cuomo and Governor Spitzer gave (more here - the petition submitted to the... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a truck stuck underneath a train platform at 237th St. in the Bronx, an armed robbery on 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, and a burn victim at McKeever Pl. in Brooklyn.
• The husband who was strangled to death, allegedly by his wife in their new $1 million Long Island home, had a criminal record that included serving several years upstate for rape, robbery, and burglary.
• A fire at a homeless encampment near Hillside Ave. and 178th St. in Queens spread to the encampment's shanties. One man was unable to escape in time and died in the fire.
• The controversial federal case against a woman accused of smuggling monkey meat into the U.S. for use in religious ceremonies continues.
• New York is turning into a clown town during the holiday season. There are currently six separate circuses operating in the city.
• Police are investigating a string of robberies in Brooklyn's 84th Precinct that appears to be targeting Asian people.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants the Indian Point power plant to pick up the pace on the repair of emergency sump pumps.
• The city's started to ticket ($100 to $300) businesses in Cobble Hill and Park Slope for placing a-frame signs advertising everything from manicure prices to happy hour specials. The signs supposedly are obstructing the sidewalk.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child on 42nd St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, someone robbed the Commerce Bank on Fresh Pond Rd. in Queens, and a severed limb on West 183rd St. in Manhattan.
• Someone in Richmond, Indiana won the Powerball lottery with a prize of $314 million and change. Mega-Millions is up to $250 million, however, so if you feel you're in want of a quarter-billion dollars or perhaps just $1 too rich, go for it.
• New York Press reported that bidding for the hacked iPhone allowing a different carrier than AT&T was up to $15,600.
• The Times has a piece on the Reggae Carifest, which was being protested against for the inclusion of performers whose songs are anti-gay. The paper characterizes the show as a disappointing bust.
• An inspector with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found a guard at a security gate at the Indian Point nuclear facility asleep on the job. The NRC downgraded Indian Point's safety rating earlier this year after a number of unscheduled automatic shutdowns.
• A 60-acre park in Ridgway, CO was recently dedicated to actor Dennis Weaver, who died last year. In the 1970s series "McCloud," Weaver played Sam McCloud, a New Mexico deputy who brought his Western crime-fighting skills to the streets of NYC.
• 30,000 respirator masks distributed to members of the NYPD (they can normally be seen in a pouch strapped to cops' legs) have been recalled by the manufacturer as possibly defective.
• Someone with an IP address associated with the American Enterprise Institute entered the Wikipedia fray last September, when they altered an entry on Mayor Bloomberg to read "F--k this turd."

An alarm that lasted several minutes at the Indian Point nuclear power plant set neighbors on edge Thursday. Back in April, we mentioned that Entergy, the owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant 40 miles north of the city, was fined $130,000 for failing to install an emergency warning system by a required deadline. This was just weeks after a fire in the facility's transformers tripped an automatic shutdown at one of the site's reactors––the second reactor shutdown that month. The two mishaps led to a downgrade in Indian Point's safety rating by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a residential hi-rise fire on 10th Ave. in Manhattan, a double shooting on Beach Channel Drive in Queens, and a transformer fire at Barbey St. and Pitkin Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Entergy was fined $130,000 for not installing a warning siren system at its Indian Point facility by a required deadline. That would be the nuclear power plant that just had its safety rating downgraded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• The City Council distributed a memo reminding workers that even though Casual Fridays were in effect, flip-flops, shorts, and other too-casual clothing items are inappropriate for city government.
• A mugging by an 11-year-old who wanted another child's change after he bought candy ended with the victim's skull impaled with a stick. He survived, but is expected to leave the hospital for a nursing home.
• The niece of Tom Carvel, the man who brought us Fudgie the Whale, is claiming that he was murdered with poison and wants his body exhumed so an autopsy can be performed. We never trusted Cookie Puss.
• A gravedigger in Yonkers noticed four black bags in a freshly dug grave he had recently prepared. The bags each contained one smoked fish and pictures of unidentified people. Police are investigating but the bags' meaning is yet to be determined.
• The city medical examiner ruled that the jump rope-involved death of five-year-old Monet/Monique Flugham was an accident.
• The shutterbug photographer who caught American Idol lingerer Sanjaya hobnobbing with Gov. Spitzer––or is it the other way around?––is none other than Valerie Bertinelli!
• The case of NYC vs. Deadbeat Diplomats is being heard in the Supreme Court this week.

Yesterday's fire at the Indian Point nuclear power plant occurred in a transformer yard and away from the plant's nuclear area, but klaxons sounding at a nuclear facility have a way of putting people on edge. Transformers are the component of our electric power infrastructure that makes electricity suitable for transmission over the grid. When a fire broke out amidst the transformers used by Indian Point 3, the plant automatically shut down as by design. The other reactor, Indian Point 2, continued functioning normally. more ›