The Associated Press

BUCHANAN, N.Y. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that New York City should be included in a new evacuation plan that would be implemented if there were a serious release of radiation from the Indian Point nuclear power plants.

"I favor a 50-mile evacuation plan," the senator said after a tour of the plants in Buchanan, 35 miles up the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan.

Current evacuation plans include only a 10-mile evacuation area.

Clinton also said the federal government should keep stockpiles of potassium iodide, which fights illnesses caused by radiation, for residents near nuclear plants.

The leveling of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 raised fears that terrorists could produce a nuclear nightmare in metropolitan New York by targeting the two Indian Point plants.

Experts say the concrete dome of the plants' containment buildings might not withstand the impact of a jetliner, which could expose the area to lethal radiation. The spent fuel stored at the site could also give off radiation and is even less protected, activists say.

Clinton said including New York City in the plan "would be a way of using some of New York City's experience. . . . They have the best emergency response team and plan in the country as we've seen since Sept. 11. So we need to consult with them."

About 20 million people live within 50 miles of Indian Point.