What's happening
This bill requires New York to review and develop detailed disaster preparedness plans for nuclear power plants within 50 miles, potentially leading to plant closures if evacuation is not feasible.
Why it matters
Requires a detailed and site-specific evaluation of evacuation feasibility. The bill mandates that disaster preparedness plans for nuclear plants include an assessment of the time and logistics needed to evacuate everyone within a 50-mile radius, considering not just population size but also special populations like hospital patients and schoolchildren. This could reveal significant challenges in densely populated or infrastructure-limited areas.
Expands the scope of emergency planning. Instead of focusing only on plants within New York, the law also covers any nuclear plant within 50 miles of the state border, broadening the range of plants subject to New York's disaster planning and potential influence.
Links public safety planning to plant operations. If the mandated review finds that effective evacuation is not feasible, the governor is directed to pursue plant closure, making public safety assessments a potentially decisive factor in whether a plant is allowed to continue operating.
Elevates transparency and governmental oversight. The requirement that the review be submitted to the governor, senate majority leader, and assembly speaker ensures high-level government awareness and may lead to increased public scrutiny and debate over nuclear plant safety and preparedness.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Plan for Nuclear Disaster Safety
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to governmental operations
- Referred to governmental operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Nuclear Plant Disaster Plans Required
In Senate Committee · Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs · Sponsor Kenneth P. LaValle
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
S. 1620 A. 966
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
SENATE - ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2017
IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. THIELE, COLTON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to disaster preparedness plans for nuclear power plants operating within the state or within fifty miles of the state's border
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 23-d to read as follows:
§ 23-d. Nuclear power plant disaster preparedness plans. 1. The New York state emergency management office, in consultation with nuclear power plants operating within this state or within fifty miles of the state border, is hereby authorized and directed to coordinate a comprehensive review of disaster preparedness plans for such power plants within six months of the effective date of this section and, upon completion of such review, develop individual site specific disaster preparedness plans for each such nuclear power plant. The review and development of such disaster preparedness plans shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) the reasonable time necessary to evacuate an area within fifty miles of the plant given the size of the population residing in such area;
(b) the location to which people may be evacuated in the event of a disaster;
(c) the feasibility of evacuating areas within fifty miles of a power plant in the event of a severe core damage accident;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02098-01-7
S. 1620 2 A. 966
(d) the role of public safety and school personnel in safely returning school children with their parents;
(e) the isolation from consumption of contaminated food and water;
(f) the evacuation of people from hospitals and other institutions in which patients or residents have special needs or require special attention; and
(g) the appropriateness and usefulness of implementing any other disaster preparedness plan or other plan in the event of a nuclear power plant disaster.
2. A copy of the review of such disaster preparedness plans shall be submitted to the governor, the senate majority leader, and the speaker of the assembly. Where such review determines that there is no feasible evacuation plan for areas within fifty miles of such plants, the governor shall take appropriate action to seek closure of such plants.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.