Public Environmental Experts Sound the Alarm on Indian Point

Rockland Daily Staff

Public environmental experts sound the alarm regarding the dangers inherent in decommissioning the Indian Point Power Plant after the first public forum in an ongoing series on the subject was held last night.

Environmental advocates say that Holtec International, the company running the plant, has plans to discharge a million gallons of radioactive wastewater directly into the Hudson River. Their concern is that this could negatively impact 100,000 people who rely on the water as a backup source and the seven surrounding municipalities whose main source of drinking water is the Hudson. In particular, concerns about the cancerous properties of the waste that could impact residents and children were expressed. 

Holtec released a statement to News12 that the company has permits from the EPA and the State of New York to run the decommissioning.

The company additionally said, "During decommissioning, nuclear power plants release treated water. These releases are regulated by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are typically indistinguishable from the natural radioactivity present in the environment."

The Indian Point Power Plant closed in April 2021. The decommissioning process is slated to take 12 to 15 years.

The next public forum is scheduled for February 3 at Cortlandt.

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