Senator Murphy to Indian Point Closure Task Force: The Clock is Ticking

Cortlandt, NY – Johnny Cash once sang, “I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rollin’ round the bend.” For residents in Buchanan and Cortlandt, the train is coming in form of the harsh reality that the Indian Point nuclear plant will shut down by 2021, taking with it jobs and economic prosperity. An Indian Point Closure Task Force was formed earlier this year to ease the impact of the plant’s demise, maintain an open dialogue with residents, and protect the community’s future. The 23-member task force met at the Cortlandt Town Hall for the second time this year on September 28, but as far as Senator Terrence Murphy was concerned, it might as well have been the first time they spoke. Senator Murphy felt the lack of progress and absence of an action plan has unnecessarily put the health, safety and security of the region in jeopardy.

Senator Murphy said, “It has already been eight months since the State and Entergy announced its intent to completely shut down Indian Point by 2021.We should have had plans for decommissioning, replacement power, reuse, revenue shortfalls, job retention and economic development before the closure of the plant was announced. We are playing defense instead of offense.”

D.L. English Consulting, Inc. was introduced as the consulting firm hired by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to conduct a site reuse study. Topics of discussion at the meeting included spent fuel management, the decommissioning of the plant, plant operations, local development opportunities, and retraining for labor union employees.

Jenean Eichenholtz, a member of Power Through Cortlandt, an advocacy group formed to raise public awareness about the closure of Indian Point, gave one of the most compelling presentations, demanding that residents have a voice as the plant’s closure moves forward. “We need to make sure that our voices are not lost in the process,” she said. “It is vital that our residents plan for the future.”

Local representatives and members of the Task Force in attendance included Westchester County Legislators John Testa and Catherine Borgia, Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi, Theresa Knickerbocker, Mayor, Village of Buchanan, and Joseph Hochreiter, Superintendent, Hendrick Hudson School District.  Representing the labor unions were Thomas Carey, President of the Westchester Putnam Central Labor Council and Business Agent Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 21, Lou Picani, President and Principal Officer, Teamsters Local 456, and James Slevin, President, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the formation of the Indian Point Closure Task Force on Feb. 28, 2017. The task force was created to provide guidance and support to the communities, taxing jurisdictions, and employees affected by the planned closure of Indian Point. The task force was charged with developing recommendations to mitigate local tax and workforce impacts, evaluating and identifying new economic opportunities, retraining and creating employment opportunities, establishing decommissioning timelines and ultimately positioning the region for a prosperous and sustainable future.

The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for December 19, 2017.