Task Force Discusses Indian Point Decommissioning Process

ALBANY — The Indian Point Closure Task Force, created earlier this year by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the State Legislature, met for the second-time last Thursday night to publicly discuss and identify initiatives to help foster a successful community transition when Entergy ceases power generation operations at Indian Point in 2021.

State agencies and authorities are working with local jurisdictions and labor leaders on the 23-member task force to identify options regarding local tax and workforce impacts, and to inform a safe and responsible decommissioning of the plant post-closure.  Pursuant to legislation passed earlier this year, the Task Force is assessing reuse options for the property at Indian Point, and evaluating workforce, tax and other implications of the plant’s closure. Last night, the state announced and introduced an expert consultant, D.L. English Consulting Inc., that has been brought on to assist with conducting the reuse study.

“I am honored to be working with local leaders and state experts in a collaborative manner,” said Task Force Chairman and Department of Public Service Executive Deputy Tom Congdon.

“We have several years to plan for the eventual closure of Indian Point, and together we will make a positive difference for the people who live near and work at the plant.”

At Thursday’s public meeting at the Cortlandt Town Hall in Westchester County, task force members were briefed by Dave English and Fred Petschauer of the consultant D.L. English Consulting Inc., the consultant hired by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for the site reuse study. Task force members also received a detailed overview of the decommissioning process and were asked to provide feedback on an outline of the task force’s first annual report, due in April 2018, which will assess the state’s findings, activities, and plans regarding anticipated impacts related to the closure.

In addition, the task force received a status report from meeting with labor representatives, discussed property development opportunities in Cortlandt, and were provided an overview of the just-commenced electric system reliability study being done by the New York Independent System Operator. The task force also received an update from the Community Unity Task Force and Power Through Cortlandt on issues relevant to the immediate community.

The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for December 19, 2017. During the intervening months, individual members will be busy continuing to advance the core work of the task force. The task force is required to meet three times a year. The annual report will be issued for formal public comment.

Public comments may also be submitted through the Department’s website at any time by following the instructions below:
Internet of Mail: Go to http://www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” enter the matter number (17-00994), and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page; or e-mail comments to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov. Alternatively, comments may be mailed or delivered to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: You may call the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is set up to take comments about pending cases from in-state callers, 24 hours a day. Press “1” to leave comments, mentioning matter number 17-00994, Establishment of Indian Point Closure Task Force.” These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

Task Force Members include:
State Representatives: Senator Terrence Murphy; Assemblywoman Sandy Galef; and several state agencies, including the Office of the Governor; Education Representatives; Department of Public Service; Department of Environmental Conservation; Department of Labor; Department of Tax and Finance; Empire State Development; New York State Energy Research & Development Authority; Department of State; New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services; and the New York Power Authority.
Local Representatives: Catherine Borgia, Majority Leader, Westchester County Board of Legislators; John G. Testa, Minority Leader, Westchester County Board of Legislators; Linda D. Puglisi, Supervisor, Town of Cortlandt; Joseph Hochreiter, Superintendent, Hendrick Hudson School District; and Theresa Knickerbocker, Mayor, Village of Buchanan.
Labor Representatives: Teamsters Local 456 President Louis Picani; Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 President James Slevin; and Westchester Putnam Central Labor Council President Thomas Carey. Visit  the Department’s website at www.dps.ny.gov for more information.