Rockland County Legislators Wolfe & Davidson Say Reopening Indian Point Would "Move Us Backward"

Rockland County Legislators Alden H. Wolfe and Beth Davidson have rejected renewed calls by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler and others to reopen the former Indian Point nuclear power plant, citing long-standing safety, health and environmental concerns shared by Rockland County residents and others.

On Tuesday morning, a 2.3-magnitude earthquake centered in nearby Sleepy Hollow was recorded, highlighting the seismic activity that can occur in the area and underlining the need for extreme caution when it comes to Indian Point and the enormous challenges that exist in evacuating the area in the event of a large-scale emergency.

“For decades, Rockland County has raised serious concerns about the safety of Indian Point and the risks it posed to the millions of people living in the Hudson Valley and the greater New York metropolitan area,” Legislator Wolfe said. “Those concerns have not disappeared simply because the plant has closed.”

Indian Point, located in neighboring Westchester County along the Hudson River, permanently shut down its last operating reactor in 2021 after years of debate over the facility’s safety, aging infrastructure, and emergency preparedness challenges in one of the most densely populated regions in the United States.

Legislator Davidson noted that Rockland County officials have long been among the voices calling attention to the risks associated with the plant, including its location near seismic fault lines, the potential for a nuclear accident, repeated issues involving leaks of radioactive water, and the ongoing issue of storing spent nuclear fuel on-site along the Hudson River.

“Rockland County leaders spent years advocating for the closure of Indian Point because the potential risks to public safety, public health, and our environment were simply too great,” Legislator Davidson said. “Reopening the plant would mean revisiting the very same unresolved issues that concerned residents and local governments for decades.”

Both legislators also cautioned that reopening Indian Point would not provide the quick or effective relief some claim for rising electricity costs in the region.

“Restarting a decommissioned nuclear facility is not a simple or quick solution, and it would not meaningfully lower electricity bills for families and businesses,” Legislator Wolfe said. “Energy affordability is an important issue, but bringing back Indian Point is not the answer.”

There is a new report that the U.S. Department of Energy has rewritten virtually all the rules concerning nuclear power plants and shown them to the companies they are in charge of regulating - but not the public.

NPR reports that the new orders cut hundreds of pages of security requirements, weaken environmental protections, reduce record-keeping requirements and raise the radiation exposure level that triggers an official accident investigation. They also loosen protections for groundwater, NPR reports.

“The very people charged with looking out for the public’s safety – and who would hold that role if Indian Point were to be reopened – are bending over backward to accommodate big business and its massive need for energy to power its AI pursuits,” Legislator Davidson said. “They are not looking out for your health and safety or even your power bill.”

Legislator Davidson added that policymakers should instead focus on sustainable, forward-looking energy strategies, including renewable and clean energy sources such as offshore wind, solar generation, and additional geothermal.

“We should be investing in safe, modern energy solutions that protect our communities, strengthen the reliability of the grid, and move us toward a greener future,” Legislator Davidson said. “Reopening Indian Point would move us backward, not forward.”