EXPERTS, ACTIVISTS SPLIT ON NUCLEAR PLANT RISK.(Main)

Byline: Phil Brown Staff writer

Fallout from an aging nuclear plant in western Massachusetts could reach downtown Albany if a meltdown or other serious accident occurs, anti-nuclear activists warned Monday.

The Yankee Rowe Atomic Power Station, located 42 miles from Albany, has come under fire in recent days from critics who want the plant closed at once as unsafe.

The Union for Concerned Scientists contended that the plant's reactor vessel has become brittle over time, increasing the likelihood of a rupture.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission conceded that the vessel shows signs of brittleness, but maintained that the plant is safe to operate at least until its next …