Bill banning the dumping of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River goes to Gov. Hochul
The bill, passed by the New York State Assembly on Tuesday, will put a stop to Holtec International's plans to dump more than 1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater in the Hudson River this summer.
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Plans to dump radioactive wastewater from the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant into the Hudson River could soon be blocked.
The bill, passed by the New York State Assembly on Tuesday, will put a stop to Holtec International's plans to dump more than 1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater in the Hudson River this summer.
Holtec International, who is decommissioning the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, released a statement in response that said it is "disappointed," and that discharge into the river is the safest option.
The statement also calls for Gov. Hochul to review and veto the legislation.
Bill sponsor state Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg also released a statement that said, "Our constituents want the state to have more say over what can and cannot go into our rivers, and when."
She thanked her colleagues for protecting the local business economy and environment.
Ashoke and Priti Rajdev, owners of a snack shop in the Ossining train station, say they're glad state lawmakers passed this bill. They fear that allowing dumping into the river could be bad for their shop.
"This is a very pristine area and the Hudson Valley is one of the best. If these guys keep coming out with the releases…then people might say, 'I don't want to be there.'" says Ashoke Rajdev.
Union representatives for about 100 specialized carpenters at Indian Point say the ban will disrupt the whole decommissioning process, which could cost jobs.
"I got to worry about my members. We're not 100% sure of how this is going to shake out, when they're going to start doing layoffs. I assume it's going to be soon," says Scott Smith, of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
