Letter to the Editor: Astorino False On Indian Point Closing

To The Editor:

I would strongly urge our County Executive to refrain from the continued promulgation of false information regarding the closure of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. This decision was a financial one made by the owners of Indian Point, not Governor Cuomo -- hence the uselessness of Mr. Astorino's lawsuit. What we should expect of our County Executive is a policy of firm insistence that the decommissioning of the plant be done safely by its owners who are responsible for this process.

Furthermore, there need be no discussion of replacing the power lost in the closure of Indian Point since the New York Power Authority does not buy any Indian Point output and ConEd only has a contract for 560 Megawatts of IP power. If there is any discussion about replacing power (and there has been discussion of a gas powered plant at Indian Point), why has there been no serious consideration of renewable energy? The clear impact of fossil fuels on climate change should be an emphatic argument against the continued build-out of infrastructure that we are witnessing in the lower Hudson Valley, an initiative that should have been stopped immediately by the public officials empowered with responsibility for the safety of the citizens living and working in the affected counties. Instead, we have witnessed projects like the expansion of Spectra Energy's Algonquin Pipeline, resulting in three pipelines running under Indian Point, and the Valley Lateral and Eastern Systems Upgrade pipelines feeding the massive CPV power plant in Orange County!

I attended Mr. Astorino's Town Hall meeting in Somers in June, and was amazed at his comment regarding the lack of an Environmental Impact Study prior to the decision to close Indian Point--an issue not without significant merit. The irony here is the fact that Astorino never raised his voice in support of such a study when the AIM pipeline construction was underway at Indian Point; rather he enabled this process by allowing construction in Blue Mountain Reservation without the input of the Board of Legislators. Was the ravaging of this beautiful County Park a reasonable sacrifice in exchange for contributions from Spectra Energy?

Westchester County needs an executive who is prepared to work with the Board of Legislators toward a shared goal of doing what is best for the citizens of our county. I urge Mr. Astorino to distance himself from the policies espoused by the current administration in Washington, especially those related to immigration and the environment. We need a leader who will forge a path toward renewable energy, start disseminating accurate information, and leave the grandstanding for another time.

Marie Inserra

Peekskill, NY