Rebuttal to Gov. Hochul’s announcement for Nuclear in NY: You can’t put lipstick on a pig

Opinion by Jacqui Drechsler

On 9/5/24, Governor Hochul hosted state agencies and the nuclear industry to announce her and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Draft Blue Print for Nuclear Energy and NY State. The public demanded a public comment period. Several Legislators and over 100 groups representing thousands of New Yorkers submitted comments. 

In 2024, NYSERDA did a Financial Assessment of the proposal.  The report, according to multiple governmental sources, recommended that nuclear not be pursued due to astronomical costs to ratepayers and taxpayers.  Thousands of New Yorkers are outraged that the Governor is ignoring her own agencies report. What she is hiding and why? We demand that the report be released to the public. “The Small Modular Reactor (SMR) that was being designed and planned by NuScale priced the electricity generated so highly that even with billions in federal subsidies, they couldn’t find buyers,” stated Tom Meara, in Too Early For NY To Build Nuclear.

The new nuclear power plant called Vogtle in Georgia took twice as long to build as projected and came in at 35 million dollars, twice the proposed cost… “It produces electricity that is 3 times higher in cost than that generated by renewable or fossil gas generators,” wrote Meara. “Nuclear energy is an extremely complicated and costly means of boiling water,” Professor Klueman in Karl Grossman’s  Mistakes of the Past. Nuclear energy is a boondoggle. According to Oxford Languages definition, a boondoggle is “a waste of money or time on questionable projects… a public project of questionable merit that typically involves patronage and graft.” New York ratepayers and taxpayers will be footing the bill. It is not cost effective.

On 1/14/25, NYSERDA released the Master Plan for Responsible Advanced Nuclear Development in New York (SMR’s), delineating NYSERDA’s process and timeline. The Master Plan states that “through various task forces, it will assess and explore over the next two years whether nuclear energy is cost effective, reliable as an energy source, assess Environmental Justice community issues, feasibility and commercial readiness and assessment of the nuclear waste…The process should be completed by the end of 2026”.

On 6/23/25, in violation of the  Master Plan, the Governor directed the New York Power Authority (NYPA) “to build at least one new zero emissions advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate NY with at least one gigawatt of electricity.” (One gigawatt of energy can power anywhere from 700,000 to one million homes). She is superseding the necessary evaluations of comparative economic and environmental impacts as well as the timeline that the Plan calls for. 

Because of climate change and increased temperatures, nuclear reactors shut down more often when waters relied upon for cooling gets too hot. Hot thermal pollution reactors dump into lakes, rivers and oceans undoubtedly contribute to the rise in water temperature near reactor sites. Increased temperatures means increased storms, sea level rise, heat waves, droughts and reactor shut downs. From June 30 through July 2, Switzerland and France had to shut down several power plants because of “extreme heat and hot water.” There also have been shut downs due to storms, snow and flooding events. Indian Point on the Hudson River, nearly flooded during the Hurricane Sandy storm surge which could have resulted in a meltdown. There was a dangerous shutdown due to the storms impact to the electrical grid. The impact of climate change disruptions on a nuclear power plants ability to operate reliably are very serious issues.

Governor Hochul, Doreen Harris of NYSERDA and Rory Christian, Public Service Commission Chair, are attempting to re-define nuclear energy as zero emissions energy. During it’s life cycle and energy production, nuclear reactors produce large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from construction, natural gas power and the mining, milling and transportation of uranium from Indigenous lands outside of NYS causing great harms and serious illnesses. Emissions from operating nuclear reactors include non-monitored GHG of radioactive CO2, radioactive methane, tritium and Krypton-85, all powerful climate change accelerators. Nuclear reactors emit many other radionuclides into our air, water, and land including strontium-90 and cesium-137, known carcinogens.

Krypton 85, a powerful radioactive green house gas enhances air ionization and interferes with the atmospheric-electrical system and water balance of the earth’s atmosphere. Produced during nuclear fission, emissions have increased in the atmosphere 10 million times since the beginning of the nuclear era. In the 1970s, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) knew that “global changes in the atmospheric electric circuit will occur within 50 years and require further investigation.” In 1994 the IAEA issued another report adding “This is reason for concern. There are unforeseeable effects for weather and climate if the Krypton-85 content of the earth atmosphere continues to rise. In addition, human well-being may be expected to be impaired as a result of the diminished atmospheric-electrical field.”  50 years ago is now. No matter much spin they put into this, nuclear power is not zero emissions. The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation is working on regulations to ensure that all emissions from all power plants, including nuclear power plants, be counted and tracked. Nuclear reactors should not be treated as a preferred polluter by being approved for Zero Emissions Credits (ZEC’s) as nuclear power is not zero emissions. Nuclear power is a climate change accelerator. 

Small Modular Reactors (SMR) are not better, safer and can’t be built faster than conventional commercial reactors. Experimental SMR’s are approximately 10-15 years away from being a reality. There is no commercial readiness. The nuclear industry insists that because they are smaller and safer, emergency planning for communities where SMR’s will be sited will not be necessary. Local Police, Firefighters and Emergency Personnel will be responsible for safety and its costs. Terrorism risks always remain high. Indian Point was a potential target by the leaders of the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York. 

In 2023, Governor Hochul directed NYPA to build 15 gigawatts of renewable energy at publicly owned facilities, which NYPA has not done. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act supports solar, wind, geothermal power and networks, battery build out and storage and the transmission of energy. She needs to put NYS resources into the clean energy economy she says she wants, not into nuclear energy. In 2017, NYSERDA gave 7.6 billion dollars to upstate nuclear reactor operators and only 1 billion for all renewables combined. Level the financial field and increase the funding for renewables and stop promoting construction of experimental nuclear reactors. A Wall Street Journal article reported that “the Governor can’t recall a conversation she has had with Trump that didn’t include her advocating for changes to the federal permitting process for nuclear plants.” Stop working with President Trump.

Starting with uranium mining, ending with radioactive nuclear waste. The Master Plan will assess Waste, but there are no options, no safe, efficient and cost-effective storage and disposal sites for nuclear waste, no permanent disposal site. Building new reactors in NYS only increases the burden NYS already has with thousands of tons of nuclear waste located in West Valley, Indian Point and at 3 reactor sites on Lake Ontario. The Governor cannot balance the dangers of nuclear waste v. limitations of renewable energies which are becoming less expensive and more accessible. She should not put any money into the outrageous costs and liabilities of nuclear power. Until there is a solution for the waste, it is criminal to continue to produce more radioactive nuclear power waste which must be separated for hundreds of thousands of years – if not for a million years, from all life.