James Lee Witt Associates Completes Review of Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point and Millstone
 Washington, DC, March 7, 2003 - James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA) completed the comprehensive and independent review of emergency preparedness for the area around the Indian Point Energy Center and for that portion of New York in proximity to the Millstone plant in Connecticut.
"We have made observations that we believe will benefit the citizens of the State of New York, and we have made them than in the hope that that potential benefit might be realized."," said James Lee Witt. "Emergency preparedness around nuclear power plants is a national issue and New York has taken the lead in this area of public safety."
Because of the importance of the subject to the citizens and stakeholders in the area, and because the team thought consideration of comments would improve the report, JLWA thought it appropriate that the public have an opportunity to provide comments on any aspect of it. The State concurred in this assessment and approach.
Although JLWA received 72 submissions and hundreds of individual comments, few changes in the draft were required due to errors of fact. The comments that addressed major, substantive issues were not sufficiently compelling that the draft's major findings, conclusions and recommendations need changing in the final report. Changes to the final report are explained in Appendix K.
Based on the submissions and comments received, as well as the public debate that followed the release of the draft report, JLWA finds it both necessary and appropriate to emphasize or clarify some issues we may not have accentuated in the draft:
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Closing the plants would not remove the need for improvements in emergency preparedness.
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The existing plans should be followed during an emergency. Our intent was not to discredit the plans, but to improve them.
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While much of the public debate has recently been focused on terrorism, almost all of the inadequacies that we pointed out would exist without the terrorist threat, and should be addressed.
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The plants and those with responsibility to protect the population in the adjacent communities meet current NRC and FEMA regulatory requirements. FEMA and NRC regulations are in need of review, however.
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There are unique aspects of a terrorist caused incident that should be considered in planning and exercising.
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We were asked to provide our observations and recommendations as experts in the field of Emergency Management. Some have attempted to discredit us and the draft on the basis that it is not scientific. We do not agree that our observations and conclusions lack validity unless they can be confirmed by science, or a search of the academic literature.
The Review of Emergency Preparedness at Indian Point and Millstone will be posted on the company's website and may be accessed by visiting www.wittassociates.com.
JLWA and Innovative Emergency Management, Inc. (IEM) worked together to successfully complete the draft review. IEM is an international consulting firm specializing in the use of information technology to engineer and improve organizational processes, leverage knowledge, and assess and manage risks, especially those arising from low-probability, high-consequence events and is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA) is a leader in public safety and emergency management consulting. With a multi-faceted range of relevant experience, JLWA is uniquely positioned to help avoid, address or recover from virtually any crisis or conflict. Headquartered in Washington, DC, JLWA assists universities, hospitals, non-profits, international organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and local and state governments in preparing for and responding to all hazards. James Lee Witt has more than 25 years of leadership and experience in the field of public safety, including eight years as the Director of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during which he responded to more than 450 disasters in all 50 states. He and his team have unrivaled experience and hands-on knowledge in crisis management and partnership development.
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