After victories with the state budget and gay marriage, Governor Cuomo is refocusing his attention on closing the Indian Point Nuclear plant in Buchanan, New York. The plant is located 38 miles north of New York City and sits on top of the Ramapo Fault line and is one mile south of the Stamford-Peekskill fault. The meltdown of Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant after the TÅhoku earthquake has elevated concerns about the health and safety of the 20 million New Yorkers who live within 50 square miles of the plant. If closed, the state would face the challenge of replacing the 2,000 MW of electricity currently produced at Indian Point. The state sees the proposed 1,000 MW transmission line under the Hudson River from Canada as an opportunity to replace half the energy lost from the plants closure.
Governor Cuomo's initiative to shut down Indian Point will likely be a hard fight as The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have the majority of say regarding the plants operations. The Governor and a record number of concerned New Yorkers have been challenging the NRC in renewing the plants license to operate. If successful, Indian Point would be the first of its kind to be denied a 20-year license extension. With that said, the governor is far from powerless. He is currently making Entergy Nuclear (the plant owners) build cooling towers to reduce their water consumption by 95%.
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