On the morning of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, The Knight News traveled to the small village of Buchanan, NY to tour what is arguably the most controversial energy site in New York’s history: The Indian Point Nuclear Plant.
Before Buchanan had a nuclear plant, it hosted an amusement park, until the mid-20th century when the site was converted by ConEdison into the Indian Point Energy Center, beginning operations in 1962.
By 2001, the Entergy Corporation purchased the nuclear plant with the intention of keeping it running for decades. Just 20 years later in April 2021, Indian Point would close.
Former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo led efforts to shut down the plant because of its location near a fault line. Local environmental advocates further contended that Indian Point posed a danger to the fish population in the Hudson due to its reliance on cooling water from the river. Entergy rejected these arguments and asserted that Indian Point was meant to tolerate an earthquake, and previous environmental studies — funded by Entergy themselves — did not indicate damage to the river.
In response to The Knight News’ request for comment, The DC-based Nuclear Energy Institute said, “Nuclear plants are among the safest facilities in the world and here in the U.S. they provide nearly 50% of our clean electricity. Before it closed, Indian Point operated safely for nearly 50 years and powered about 25% of New York City’s power usage.”
By the time it closed around 2020, Indian Point was producing a quarter of New York’s energy and accounted for a significant amount of New York City’s clean energy. Its closure led to job losses and a loss of tax revenue in the local community, a sigh of relief for environmental groups, and a new debate surrounding what to do with the water in the spent fuel pool.
Dr. Gillian Stewart from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Queens College recognizes both sides of the equation, saying, “While I understand that a nuclear power plant near NYC may be seen as a terrorist target, I think it is a shame to close it down. On the other hand, the amount of … hot water from the cooling towers … has raised the average temperature of the Hudson by about a degree, which has made life tough for some local wildlife.”
After its closure, Holtec International purchased Indian Point to lead the decommissioning efforts.
Indian Point holds more than a million gallons of radioactive water, which has been used to cool the reactors. For years, the plant has been able to safely dispose of the water under standards set by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
However, after backlash from local environmental groups led by Riverkeeper, arguing that the standards were too relaxed, Governor Hochul signed a law that prohibits Indian Point from discharging water into the Hudson River. The New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) oversees the State’s effort to regulate Indian Point, alongside the NRC.
James Denn, the Public Information Officer at the DPS, explained the DPS’s role as performing “on site day-to-day monitoring of decommissioning activities at Indian Point…[reviewing] all license amendment and exemption requests submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Holtec and is an active participant in the NRC’s decommissioning rulemaking process.”
The debate about the water at Indian Point specifically revolves around tritium, a chemical which can cause health issues if not discharged properly. Holtec contends that the level of tritium to be discharged is safe and within legal limits set by the NRC and EPA. However, Riverkeeper argues the legal limits are outdated and the water should be held for 12 years on-site — tritium’s half life — to find other means to dispose of it. To better understand and report on the Indian Point Nuclear Plant’s decommissioning process, The Knight News toured the local community and met with Riverkeeper. The final product became a documentary.
