Rally Planned Saturday in Verplanck to Oppose Toxic Wastewater in River
A large rally is planned Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cortlandt Waterfront Park in Verplanck to oppose the planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from the Indian Point nuclear power plants into the Hudson River.
Leading the charge is Cortlandt Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker, who is among those urging Holtec International to reconsider dumping 45,000 gallons of wastewater from the spent fuel pools this summer.
“The goal of the rally is to force a pause– a cease-and-desist, to prevent Holtec from discharging radioactive water for a period of at least one year,” Becker explained. “We are calling upon our elected federal and state officials to demand that the federal NRC and EPA, as well as the State’s DEC listen to the public and do their due diligence. All alternative ideas need to be vetted before taking an irreversible step. We know that there are better and safer ideas as to how to deal with this wastewater. There is no rush to discharge the water now, as it is safely stored in pools, as it has remained for years.”
Many local communities have passed resolutions objecting to what Holtec has in mind. Holtec has maintained wastewater has been released into the Hudson from Indian Point for decades.
“Some have been advocating for barging this radioactive water directly into the ocean, bypassing the river. A second option was to place this water and long-term casks, similar to what is done with the spent rods. In any case, it is clear that discharging the water into the river is felt by virtually everyone in the community to be anathema,” Becker stated.
State Sen. Pete Harkin and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg have introduced bills into the Senate and Assembly prohibiting the discharge of radioactive materials directly into the river. They are expected to be at the rally, along with Westchester County Executive George Latimer and other dignitaries.
There will also be a large flotilla on the river, with dozens of kayaks, canoes, motorboats, as well as police and fire boats, and children’s activities as well. All residents are invited and encouraged to attend.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/