NY Gives Aid To Indian Point-Area Communities, School District

BUCHANAN, NY — Communities affected by the closure of Indian Point will be seeing state funds to help with local infrastructure projects, job training and environmental research.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the state awarded $15 million the town of Cortlandt, the village of Buchanan, the Hendrick Hudson School District and other organizations.

The awards were made possible by the state's legal settlement with Entergy, the former owner of Indian Point, as part of its 2017 agreement to close the aging nuclear power plant.

Hochul said the funding was part of a comprehensive approach to make sure the plant's closure didn't translate to a lack of investment in the region.

"My administration is committed to working with unions and local leaders for a transition that strengthens the local economy, treats workers fairly and protects the environment of New York State," she said.

Award notification letters were sent to the town of Cortlandt, village of Buchanan, Historic Hudson Valley, Teamsters Local 456, Hendrick Hudson School District and Hudson River Foundation.

The projects are:

• Cortandt and Buchanan, $7 million, to support the planning of four inter-municipal sewer projects, including the refurbishing and expansion of the Buchanan Wastewater Treatment Plant and the connection of a new sewer district in Montrose, designed to leverage up to about $10 million in additional state monies.
• Hudson River Foundation, $6.5 million, for the Hudson River Biological Monitoring Program, which consists of funding for a variety of research efforts to continue monitoring the status of fish populations in the Hudson River and the food sources (lower food web) for Hudson River fishes. The program was previously funded by Entergy prior to the plant's closure and included in the Settlement Agreement as a priority project to be funded.
• Historic Hudson Valley, $750,000, for historical and environmental integrity improvements to museum property and to leverage a $3 million Federal Highway Administration grant that would otherwise be lost for the Van Cortlandt Manor Gateway Project.
• Hendrick Hudson School District, $500,000, to purchase and operate air monitoring equipment at the Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School during decommissioning.
• Teamster Local 456, $250,000, to purchase a commercial driver training simulator that will provide training and new job skills to union members.

State Sen. Pete Harckham, whose 40th District includes Buchanan and Cortlandt, said the announcement was good news for residents of the communities most impacted by the power plant's closure.

"These significant investments infrastructure will assist in economic redevelopment in the impacted communities," he said. "There are also important investments being made in environmental safety, job training and historical preservation."

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