Adi Talwar
A view of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant from across the Hudson River.
After a months-long campaign by residents and environmentalists, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation to ban the deactivated nuclear power plant from discharging treated waste into the river nearby. But what happens now with the site’s 1 million gallons of radioactive water is uncertain, and advocates are pressing the state to step in further.
The City Council on Thursday passed a “groundbreaking” legislative package that forces the city to divert food-based garbage away from landfills and reuse it instead for environmentally friendly purposes like composting and generating cleaner energy. But there’s much more to do for the city to reach its Zero Waste goals.
Last season, the city’s 25 beaches saw a total of 244 closures, either because water quality exceeded the city’s safety standards—determined by testing for the bacteria found in fecal matter—or because of excessive rainfall, which increases the likelihood of pollution entering local waterways. That’s up from 94 such closures during the 2021 season.
This summer, utility companies must submit plans detailing how they’ll implement a series of solutions to make electricity rates more affordable for electric vehicles. But their plan has fallen short of giving the MTA the preferential rate it says it needs to able to foot the bill, as it seeks to transition its 5,800-bus fleet off fossil fuels.
The bill determines how money generated from the program will be spent but fails to include protective measures for disadvantaged communities, environmentalists warn.
The deactivated nuclear power plant, now run by Holtec, wants to discharge 1 million gallons of radioactive waste into the river as early as August. The dumping will release into the air and waterways an element called tritium that can increase the risk of cancer and lead to miscarriages and birth defects.
Los legisladores están intentando evitar el cierre de la central eléctrica de Black River, en Fort Drum, cambiando la definición estatal de energía renovable para incluir la quema de madera, conocida como biomasa forestal. Se ha demostrado científicamente que este proceso contamina más que el carbón.
New York has 123 homes constructed under the environmentally friendly “passive house” building standard certified by Passive House Institute US. But architects and environmental experts say it should become the norm, especially for affordable projects in New York City.
Lawmakers are trying to keep the Black River power plant at Fort Drum from closing by changing the state’s definition of renewable energy to include the burning of wood, known as forest biomass. This process has been scientifically proven to pollute more than coal.
Known as the Climate Change Super Fund, the legislation was included in the Senate’s one-house budget proposal, but didn’t make it into the Assembly’s proposition. Lawmakers are pushing for the bill to make it into the final budget due April 1.
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