Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office today is celebrating a key decision from the federal government that would require the Indian Point nuclear facility to submit an action and environmental cleanup plan for accidents before being re-licensed.

Schneiderman had sought the stipulation in the ongoing battle over the re-licensing of the Westchester-based Indian Point facility after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to not require the environmental impact study, his office said.

“Severe accidents cannot be treated as impossibilities, and this critical ruling confirms that Indian Point must follow regulations to protect the public and control the effects of a potentially severe nuclear accident,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “We will not permit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Entergy to procrastinate or limit the relicensing review with the hope that full responsibility for protective measures can be avoided. My office will continue to take the action necessary to ensure Indian Point complies with all applicable laws and regulations, and that the surrounding communities are protected.”

Schneiderman, who has concentrated heavily on environmental cases like Indian Point and the contentious debate over high-volume hydrofracking in the Southern Tier, said the ruling confirms extra caution is needed before re-licensing the plant.

The AG has recently signed onto a petition that would require the facility, one fo the oldest operating nuke plants in the country, to assess its operating limitations. Schneiderman also wants the plant’s operator, Entergy, to conduct a seismic risk evaluation at the plant.

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