Contact: Stephen Kent, skent@kentcom.com, 914-589-5988
ONLINE FORUM ON THE FUTURE OF THE INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR PLANT AS IT CLOSES PERMANENTLY AND ENTERS DECOMMISSIONING
WHAT? Journalists and bloggers are invited to attend and cover a virtual forum this Friday, November 20 with electeds, experts, and advocates on a topic of the utmost importance to our region: the future of the Indian Point nuclear plant as it closes down permanently in April 2021 and enters the decommissioning phase.
The plant’s owner Entergy wants to sell it to a subsidiary of Holtec International which claims it can dismantle the plant and remediate the site quickly and cheaply, but there are many questions about Holtec’s qualifications and intentions, and sale is being contested by the New York State Attorney General’s office and others. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Reps. Lowey, Engel, and Maloney are calling for public hearings before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves license transfer to Holtec or the controversial document Holtec filed on its plans for decommissioning Indian Point and handling its highly radioactive waste (Holtec’s “Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report”).
The virtual Indian Point Decommissioning Forum will cover the current status of Indian Point license transfer and the contentions filed against it, Holtec’s track record at other sites around the region and nationwide, and the power New York State has to affect license transfer and decommissioning decisions, including pending legislation in the NYS Legislature to establish a Decommissioning Oversight Board of relevant State agencies.
The forum will be attended by federal, state, and local elected and appointed officials, including the members of the NYS Public Service Commission, the Indian Point State and Local Task Forces, the Indian Point Nuclear Decommissioning Citizen Advisory Panel, as well as by citizens’ groups. The event is free and open to the public. It is organized and sponsored by the NGOs Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Riverkeeper, and SEnRG, and co-sponsored by elected officials including NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, NYS Senator Peter Harckham, and Westchester County Legislators Colin Smith and Catherine Borgia.
WHO? Presenters and panelists at the forum include:
- Westchester County Legislator Cathrine Borgia (moderator)
- NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef
- NYS Senator Peter Harckham
- Mayor Billy McKinney of Zion, Illinois (recorded)
- Westchester County Legislator Colin Smith (opening remarks)
- Joshua M. Tallent, Assistant NYS Attorney General, Environmental Protection Bureau
- Megan Glander, Regional Director for U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer
- Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Action Director, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater (moderator)
- Mary Lampert, Pilgrim Watch in Massachusetts
- Leona Morgan, founder of the Nuclear Information Study Group (NISG) in New Mexico
- Janet Tauro, Clean Water Action of New Jersey
- Richard Webster, Riverkeeper
WHEN & WHERE? The virtual Indian Point Regional Decommissioning Forum takes place on Friday, November 20 from 2pm to 3:30pm Eastern. Journalists and bloggers are invited to attend and will be able to ask questions. They can register for the event here. Alternatively, as a shortcut, journalists and bloggers can also simply reply to this email and request the link to join the forum. For more information, or to request interviews with presenters and panelists, please contact Stephen Kent, skent@kentcom.com, 914-589-5988.
