New bill would prohibit radioactive wastewater discharges into New York’s waterways
State Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg have introduced legislation (S.5181) to prohibit the discharge of radiological agents into New York State waterways.
The new legislation was drafted following the announcement by Holtec to discharge radioactive wastewater from the decommissioned Indian Point nuclear power plant into the Hudson River.
The legislation was developed in consultation with environmental advocates including Riverkeeper and would enact fines of $25,000 per day for a first violation, then $50,000 per day for a second violation and $150,000 per day per violation thereafter.
Past owners of the Indian Point Energy Center, which opened in 1962, released radioactive wastewater into the Hudson for decades. Holtec Indian Point LLC and Holtec Decommissioning International LLC preside over the Indian Point nuclear facility in Westchester while continuing the decommissioning process.
“After decades of tremendous efforts to clean up the Hudson River, the idea of anyone dumping radioactive water into this estuary, the economic lifeblood of our region, is simply outrageous,” said Harckham. “No person, corporation or government has the right to recklessly pollute New York State”™s waters, and the mere idea that this is being contemplated is troubling. While the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant is a complex issue, there can be no rationale for releasing radioactive waste into the Hudson.”
“Too much is still unknown about the possible impacts of discharging radioactive waste into our waterways,” said Levenberg. “We wouldn’t want people to feel inhibited in their recreation or in moving to our communities because of the stigma of radioactive wastewater. And ultimately, the State of New York should have control over what is released into our waterways.”