Sharing a piece of good news!  If the State of New York gets involved in decommissioning like it did in the battle for closing we may have a chance against Holtec.

Many thanks to those advocates who saw this as a possibility, went to meeting after meeting and laid out what needed to happen for the safety of our community.

“New York State sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Friday for refusing to listen to the state’s concerns before approving the sale of the Indian Point nuclear power plant to Holtec, a New Jersey decommissioning firm.”

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Marilyn Elie

New York State sues Nuclear Regulatory Commission over Indian Point sale to Holtec

New York State sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Friday for refusing to listen to the state’s concerns before approving the sale of the Indian Point nuclear power plant to Holtec, a New Jersey decommissioning firm.

The lawsuit filed in a Washington, D.C. appeals court challenges the federal agency’s denial of the state’s request for a public hearing before it approved Entergy’s agreement to sell Indian Point to Holtec when the Buchanan plant shuts down in April after four decades in operation.

The lawsuit also challenges the NRC’s decision to allow Holtec to use some $630 million of more than $2 billion accumulated in decommissioning trust funds to manage the canisters of spent fuel that will remain at the 240-acre site after the shutdown.

State officials say the decision could end up sticking state ratepayers with the tab for cost overruns. And they say spent fuel management is the responsibility of the federal government, which has failed to find a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste despite promises dating back to the 1980s.

“For the health and safety of New Yorkers, it’s imperative that Indian Point be safely, rapidly, and thoroughly dismantled,” said Attorney General Letitia James said Friday. “The NRC is attempting to bypass critical transparency and accountability steps, and also is seeking to make New Yorkers pay for the job. The NRC’s unwillingness to hear New York’s valid concerns is a slap in the face to all New Yorkers.”

A spokesman for the NRC could not immediately be reached for comment.

Holtec has pledged to dismantle the plant’s three reactors and rid the site of radioactive material in 12 to 15 years.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined James in criticizing the NRC’s decision.

“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s denial of New York’s request for a hearing on decommissioning Indian Point is unacceptable and a blatant disregard of the State’s serious concerns,” Cuomo said.

“Cleaning up Indian Point will be complicated and expensive, which is why it is critical that the NRC prioritizes an open and transparent process to ensure that Indian Point is decommissioned and restored both safely and thoroughly. In addition, decommissioning trusts funded by ratepayers should not be used as a slush fund to cover expenses that are ultimately the federal government’s obligation.”

By Thomas C. Zambito
Source: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/buchanan/2021/01/22/new-york-sues-federal-government-over-indian-point-sale-holtec/6678858002/