Power Plant Cases - Press Releases

Albany – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is preparing to finalize its policy to stem the destruction of aquatic life by power plants’ cooling systems statewide. Amid furious lobbying by the power industry, environmental groups are urging DEC to stick to its position, announced by Commissioner Pete Grannis in March, that “closed cycle cooling is the best technology available and must be implemented to protect the environment.” Learn More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tina Posterli, 914-478-4501 x 239, tposterli@riverkeeper.org Roundtable Panel Presentation to Address Groundwater Contamination at Indian Point Tarrytown, NY – April 19, 2010 – Riverkeeper has been invited to participate in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) roundtable meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting, being held on Tuesday, April 20, will address groundwater contamination at nuclear power plants. Phillip Musegaas, Hudson River Program Director, will be representing Riverkeeper on the panel and will discuss the issue of spent fuel pool leaks and groundwater contamination at Indian Point. Recent incidents … Learn More

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** For interviews, contact: Tina Posterli, 516-526-9371 RIVERKEEPER HAILS NEW YORK’S DECISION TO DENY CRITICAL WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATE FOR INDIAN POINT Permit Denial Blocks Nuclear Plant’s License Renewal Tarrytown, NY – April 3, 2010 – In a major victory for Riverkeeper and citizens throughout the tri-state area long concerned about the dangers Indian Point poses to public safety and the environment, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied a critical water quality certification required for the relicensing of the Westchester-based nuclear power plant. As part of its application to the federal … Learn More

Riverkeeper submitted comments today urging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to deny a request made by Entergy, the owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, for a Water Quality Certification in connection with their efforts to obtain a license extension to operate for an additional 20 years. Before a license extension can go forward, the federal Clean Water Act requires that DEC issue this certification, attesting that continued operation would be consistent with all State water quality standards. Learn More

RIVERKEEPER CALLS ON NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TO DEFINE AND ENFORCE STANDARDS FOR APPROVING EMERGENCY PLANS AT INDIAN POINT Concerns Presented to NRC Commissioners at Emergency Planning Rulemaking Meeting in Washington, DC Learn More

June 26, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Andrea Kott (914) 478-4501 x 239 akott@riverkeeper.org NY State Supreme Court Affirms that Indian Point Adversely Impacts Fish Riverkeeper and DEC claim victory in effort to bring plant into compliance with CWA (Tarrytown, NY) On June 22, 2009, The Supreme Court of the State of New York ruled in favor of Riverkeeper and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and dismissed Entergy’s petition to overturn a decision by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). That decision, released on August 15, 2008, determined that Indian Point’s cooling water intake system causes … Learn More

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that cost-benefit analysis is not categorically forbidden by the Clean Water Act provision governing cooling water intake structures, but also that EPA has the authority to decide not to engage in such analysis. The Court, therefore, left it to the Obama-Jackson Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to decide whether and how to compare costs to benefits when it issues a new regulation for existing power plants. Learn More

Today, Riverkeeper filed written comments with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), challenging its assessment and conclusion that environmental impacts caused by Indian Point’s operation are not severe enough to prevent relicensing of the plant for 20 more years. The commission’s conclusion appeared in its December 2008 draft environmental analysis. Learn More

(Washington, D.C.) On December 2, 2008, Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, Inc. will be argued in the United States Supreme Court. The case will determine whether or not the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized to compare costs with benefits in determining the “best technology available” (BTA) for the cooling water intake structures of existing power plants. Richard Lazarus, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Supreme Court Institute at the Georgetown University Law Center, will argue the case on behalf of Riverkeeper. Learn More