What's next at Indian Point?

At a Webinar last week, representatives of the local environmental group Riverkeeper presented their critique of Holtec's decommissioning activities and their vision for what should happen next.

Indian Point/ Daniel Case/ Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to the Indian Point nuclear power complex in Buchanan, the variety of opinion is stretched about as wide as can be. Some would argue that the nuclear plants should never have been built, and that the Indian Point Amusement Park, which preceded it, should have been maintained as a recreational spot in perpetuity. As support for their position, nuclear opponents cite a history of safety problems at the complex, the fairly recent discovery of an an earthquake fault that passes just a mile north of Indian Point, along with more general fears about nuclear safety worldwide (especially after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.)

Others lament the decision to shut down the complex permanently in 2021, after years of lobbying for its closure by environmental groups and former governor Andrew Cuomo. They argue that the closure forced New York to switch to fossil fuel energy sources, especially natural gas, and that nuclear power is and should remain a critical source of “clean energy.” Indeed, some nuclear proponents maintain that without nuclear energy, the United States and other countries have no hopes of mitigating the climate crisis.

Be that all as it may, Indian Point is now closed, and its decommissioning is being carried out by Holtec International, the major energy technology company. But Holtec’s operations at Indian Point have generated a new round of controversies, especially around its plans to discharge radioactive water into the Hudson River. Last August, after months of protests and mobilizations that included many local officials and legislators, Governor Kathy Hochul finally signed the “Save the Hudson Act,” designed to at least restrict discharge of radioactive substances into the river.

Yet many questions remain about the effect the new legislation will have on Holtec’s operations. The company has already engaged in what some activists see as pushback against the restrictions by announcing an eight year delay in the timeline for decommissioning the plant, along with layoffs of workers engaged in the project.

To bring us up to speed on these developments, last week representatives of the environmental group Riverkeeper hosted a Webinar entitled “What’s Next at Indian Point.” The Croton Chronicle was present.