The Green Committee took part in the “Rally to Save the River” in Cortlandt on May 6. The rally was held to protest against plans of Holtec International “to discharge 1 million gallons of radioactive water into the Hudson River as part of its decommissioning process,” as noted by the Cortlandt Town Supervisor. In April, Holtec agreed to suspend, but not cancel, its plans. As stated by Food & Water watch, the waste “contains toxic contaminants, including tritium. Exposure to this radioactive isotope is linked to cancer, miscarriages, genetic defects and other adverse health effects. There is no safe dose of radiation and its harmful impacts are cumulative.” Holtec argues that the plant has carried out similar wastewater discharges since the 1960s, but, as Riverkeeper notes, “Just because these discharges have occurred for more than 40 years does not mean they are the best disposal method…The ideal situation is zero radiation entering the Hudson River.”
The Green Committee participated in the public comment period, noting that science has not made significant enough advances to credibly safely dispose of or alleviate the dangers of tritium. To dilute tritium by dumping it in with water from the Hudson river, subject to the forces of ebb and flow, would offer no guarantees as to where remnants wind up, how much marine or wildlife might be affected, how human consumption would be impacted, and over how long a time period these effects might last.
The Green Committee also signed the petition to the governor to sign the Save the Hudson Bill and to implement a two-year moratorium on dumping or moving nuclear waste. Instead, the bill calls for storing radioactive tritium and continually monitoring storage casks.
Upper Nyack Green Committee 