City & State NY
When the company Holtec announced its plans to decommission the Indian Point nuclear power plant, residents of the Lower Hudson Valley were dismayed to learn that it would involve the dumping over 1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater in the Hudson River. The water would contain small amounts of radioactive isotope tritium, and though Holtec said the practice was common and accepted when decommissioning nuclear power plants, communities on the Hudson River were still concerned. In response, state Sen. Pete Harckham introduced legislation that would ban the dumping of radioactive waste into the Hudson River, which passed earlier this year and Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed. He spoke with City & State about the legislation, its importance and what’s next for Indian Point. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.