The Indian Point Debate
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Photos: AP, Getty Images, Google
If you drive up the coast from New York City along the Hudson River about 35 miles, you will reach Westchester County. This is currently the home of Indian Point nuclear power plant, the center of a heated debate among residents and politicians.
The plant has been powering electricity to the millions of people in New York City as well as the residents of Westchester county for over 20 years but now their license is set to expire in 2015.
The current focus on the plant is for a couple of reasons:
Look at the recent disaster at Fukushima in Japan. We do not want to go through the same circumstances.
Secondly, Governor Cuomo, a Democrat with a powerful vote, desires to close the plant when its license expires due to safety concerns. Though he was very involved with the plant as Attorney General, he says that although it has many benefits, there are also many risks. Cuomo has many allies in residents in the area who protest with signs on a weekly basis in the streets close to the plant.
The overriding disadvantage and much of the crux behind the protests is the proximity to New York City. In the event of a full-blown emergency, an evacuation is almost an impossible thought within a short period of time. How do you successfully and quickly evacuate over 20 million people?
But this conflict of closure will definitely not be an easy one. Indian Point power plant has strong supporters on its side. The company that owns the plant, Entergy, has brought in former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as their paid celebrity spokesman. This was a big advantage since he is so popular with New Yorkers. Entergy claims that they have spent a billion dollars on safety and equipment enhancements, assuring that the equipment will continue to run safely for another 20 years.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also in favor of renewing the license. This plant powers the electricity of close to one quarter of that consumed by New York City and Westchester. It would be extremely difficult to replace and come up with another alternative. There would be blackouts if Indian Point were to close. Will that be the case in the future? We just don’t know.
Surprisingly enough, the Bloomberg Administration did a study that found that retiring Indian Point would actually lead to more pollution from fossil fuels and promote higher energy prices.
How do New Yorkers feel? Opinion is almost evenly divided; 40% want it closed and 49% want it to remain open.
The fight will continue and it will be interesting to see the final outcome.
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