Co-Editor-In-Chief: Ian Bowen
In January 2017, environmental advocates around the Hudson Valley celebrated one of their biggest victories in recent memory. Indian Point Energy Center, a nuclear power plant in Buchanan (on the East banks of the Hudson River, about 15 miles north of Nyack) would begin closing its doors. Indian Point was notorious for its damage to our Hudson River ecosystem, with the cooling system taking in river water and killing aquatic life. In April 2021, the last reactor was shut down and many of us breathed a sigh of relief.
Holtec purchased the plant in May 2021 to oversee the cleanup, but have faced sharp criticism for their plan to discharge at least 54,000 gallons of radioactive waste into the Hudson River according to The Hill. Climate activists in our community again rallied together, lobbying legislators and executives within our state government to pass the Save The Hudson Act (S6893), a NYS law preventing the “discharge [of] any radiological substance into the Hudson River in connection with the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant.”
Just last month, The US District Court for the Southern District of New York sided with Holtec in a lawsuit against New York State and struck down the Save the Hudson Act as unconstitutional. The judge ruled that federal laws like the Atomic Energy Act overruled anything passed by New York State under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, putting us back to square one. NYS Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letita James have vowed to appeal the decision, but under federal law the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) has power to regulate radioactive discharge from nuclear facilities, so a successful appeal will be difficult. Rather, it is time to lobby our federal representatives to take action.
US Representative Mike Lawler is in Washington to serve us, his constituents, and he needs to know this issue is important. The Hudson River is the center of our community and an important habitat for a wide range of biodiversity, including several endangered species. There is a deep connection between the people and the river. I personally enjoy sailing, paddleboarding, and swimming in the Hudson. If the Constitution dictates that this is a federal issue, then so be it. But then our federal government must support us. Please, reach out to the offices of Mike Lawler, Chuck Schumer or Kristen Gillibrand and tell them why radioactive contamination of the Hudson River is a danger to our wildlife and our people. It must stop now.