Despite former attempts to do so, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced his resolve to shut down the Indian Point nuclear plant. Many politicians before Cuomo intended to shut down the plant before but were never able to carry out their plans. Experts believe he should have much easier time due to newly passed state legislation (Hakim). .
Entergy, the company that runs the Indian Point nuclear plant, called the first meeting with the Cuomo administration. Although Cuomo has announced his position in shutting down the plant in several speeches previously, he never delivered a direct message to the company, and company officials were caught off guard at his blunt message (Hakim). .
New York lawmakers recently passed legislation to streamline the siting of new power plants in the state. The last siting law expired back in 2003. This legislation makes it more reasonable and feasible for Cuomo to follow through on his promise and replace Indian Point and the huge amount of power it generates. Furthermore, the licenses for Indian Point's two reactors will expire in the near future - 2013 and 2015. If actions are not taken beforehand, the state can refuse to renew the permits that allow the plants to use water from the Hudson River as a coolant which will, in turn, force the plant to shut down. Currently, the Indian Point plant uses up to 2.5 billion gallons of water from the river per day and cycles it back into the river. A Westchester Democrat and former assemblyman sued N.R.C. for exempting Indian Point from health and safety requirements. The State Department of Environmental Conservation did just that last year, rejecting a vital permit application from Entergy. They are currently engaged in the appeal process (Hakim). .
Shutting down the Indian Point nuclear plant would be a huge step for New York toward reshaping the state's energy policy. The plant is responsible for providing 2,000 megawatts and providing 25 percent of the power in New York City and Westchester.
