Environmentalists tell NY Gov. Cuomo: Protect Indian Point
Climate scientists, scholars and environmentalists sent a letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today expressing concern for the future of the state's nuclear power plants, most notably Indian Point. ANS President Eugene S. Grecheck and Vice President/President-Elect Andrew Klein, a professor in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department at Oregon State University, are among the signatories to an open letter initiated by Environmental Progress that expressed concern about the governor's efforts to close Indian Point and exclude it from the state's clean energy standard (CES).
“We’re concerned that Governor Cuomo’s administration has portrayed effective Indian Point safety operations that worked exactly as they were intended to work as examples of unsafe operations,” noted ANS President Eugene S. Grecheck. He expressed concern that “the damage to public perception about nuclear energy is significant when public officials incorrectly portray safety features as dangers.”
Grecheck said that the misrepresentation of nuclear plant safety and economic markets that don’t value their low-carbon emissions are challenging the continued operation of several nuclear plants around the country. "Policymakers need to understand the fact that nuclear energy is produced safely and is the most significant contributor of clean energy in the United States (more than 60% of our country’s carbon free electricity). Otherwise, more currently operating plants may be prematurely shut down and our nation’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from energy production will likely fail,” he said, adding, “The efforts of groups such as Environmental Progress demonstrate that concerns for the air we breathe are not just coming from the nuclear industry, but from those outside the industry who understand the incredible reliable clean air resource we have in nuclear.
"We hope that this letter will encourage the Cuomo administration to assure the people of New York that Indian Point is, in fact, operating safely," Grecheck stressed. "Beyond that, we hope policymakers nationwide will recognize the unequaled value of nuclear energy before it’s too late for existing nuclear plants.”
The open letter points out that New York's Department of Public Service issued a white paper indicating that the elimination of upstate nuclear power "would eviscerate the emission reductions achieved through the State's renewable energy programs, diminish fuel diversity, increase price volatility, and financially harm host communities."
