Op-Ed: 'Unconscionable' To Dump Radioactive Water Into Hudson River

The writer, Rockland County Executive Ed Day, responds to the latest announcement from the company cleaning up the shuttered Indian Point nuclear power plant to move up its planned discharge of treated radioactive water into the Hudson River to May.

It is utterly outrageous for Holtec to expedite their plan to dump 1 million gallons of toxic waste into the Hudson River from August to early May.

Despite pending New York State legislation to ban the discharging of radioactive waste in the Hudson River, a petition with over 400,000 signatures, and multiple municipalities including the County of Rockland signing resolutions objecting to the plan Holtec is choosing to clearly ignore everyone in elected office including the people of Rockland & Westchester who share this river.

In fact, all five Hudson Valley County Executives were planning a joint-press conference in opposition to this at the end of April well ahead of the initial scheduled dumping in August. It is unconscionable and unfathomable for this company to snub the unanimous opposition against this, disregard the dangers, and dump their waste into the river sooner than anticipated.

What’s even worse is they’re justifying the irresponsible move by claiming the alternative would be layoffs, putting their bottom line above all else including our health and environment. How dare they threaten us and hold their own workers hostage.

How can this be allowed to happen without any repercussions? How ineffective is the EPA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and our State and Federal Elected officials, that we can’t stop Holtec from dumping radioactive waste linked to cancer into our waterways?

I urge my fellow County Executives and elected officials from local, state, and federal levels to continue to stand united and intercede to stop this from happening.

Common sense and our taxpaying public demand it.