December 2020 Environmental Action Update
Clearwater opposes NRC’s tentative approval of Indian Point license transfer to Holtec:
A few days prior to the very successful Fall 2020 Indian Point Regional Decommissioning Forum, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that it was going to approve the sale of Indian Point from Entergy to Holtec, ignoring the request by the NYS Congressional Delegation for a public hearing and unresolved contentions by the NY State Attorney General and Riverkeeper. Clearwater recently issued a statement of opposition to the license transfer to this company, which has an extensive history of bribery, malfeasance and near-miss accidents. There may still be opportunities to stop this very unfortunate transfer, including the fact that the NYS Public Service Commission has jurisdiction over the application process. These recent developments make the passage of the NYS Decommissioning Oversight Board ever more urgent.
For more information, please see:
Clearwater’s Statement Opposing the Holtec License Transfer
Nov. 20: Fall 2020 Indian Point Regional Decommissioning Forum
Woodstock votes to oppose the Danskammer fracked gas plant:
On November 17 the Woodstock Town Board passed a memorializing resolution urging the NYS Public Service Commission and Governor Cuomo to oppose the proposed Danskammer expansion.
“We are very glad to learn that the Town of Woodstock has joined 25 other municipalities who have drawn a line in the sand to say no more fossil fuel infrastructure by passing a resolution to oppose the ill-conceived Danskammer gas-fired expansion,” said Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. “This plant, located on a flood-prone shoreline of the Hudson River adjacent to the City of Newburgh, would add to the health impacts to this Environmental Justice community, which is already burdened with lead, a PFOS-contaminated drinking water supply, high asthma rates and related issues. This facility is not needed and would be a foolhardy investment of what would ultimately become ratepayer funds. Time to transition to a renewable energy economy, with storage and efficiency — not add to the global climate crisis.”
Cuomo Vetoes important Watershed Protect Legislation:
Clearwater is very disappointed that Governor Cuomo has vetoed the Class C stream protection legislation .This bill, S5612a/A8349, would have protected approximately 40,000 miles of NY’s headwater streams and creeks by extending the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Protection of Waters Program to include Class C streams, reclassifying misclassified waterbodies to protect drinking water sources, and by providing additional oversight for. Class AA, A and B and C. Class C streams are the waterways that are “supporting fisheries and non-contact recreation.” The legislation was written and passed as a response to the Trump Administration’s rolling back of Clean Water Act protections, which affect about half of streams statewide. It would have benefited local upstate communities that rely on these waterways, which flow into sources of drinking water. Despite the fact that this bill, sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Sean Ryan, easily passed the State Legislature with bipartisan support, Governor Cuomo vetoed it, citing costs as his rationale. Clearwater wholeheartedly disagrees with this veto and the reasons for it, since it is more cost effective to protect water proactively than after the fact.
Support needed for the Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA):
With New York State leading the nation with its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), the question arises, “How will we pay to transition to a renewable energy energy economy?” Some funds will come from private investment, but if we are too move as quickly as the global climate crisis demands, we need to provide incentives for climate solutions by making the polluters pay for greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants, then investing those dollars, an estimated $7 billion per year, into ensuring the renewable energy infrastructure is put into place, with the green jobs and just transition that will help us to truly build back better. The Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA) will result in hundreds of thousands of new well-paid jobs, and billions of dollars of investment in healthier buildings, public transportation, renewable energy, and community-led solutions.
Take Action:
Climate, Jobs and Justice! Please email your NYS Legislators to urge their support for CCIA https://www.nyrenews.org/ccia-email
Upcoming Meetings and Events:
Thurs., Dec. 10 from 6 – 8 p.m. Virtual Indian Point Nuclear Decommissioning Citizen Advisory Panel (NDCAP). This meeting is open to the public and all are invited to participate. A public comment period will be included in the meeting. To participate via Zoom please click: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84955440430. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Village of Buchanan Facebook page.
