Thread by @agreenewyork

Indian Point nuclear plant is closing this week.

Some people are relieved and continue to work for a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future in NY.

Others are fear mongering and spreading misinformation.

Here’s what’s going on... 👇

Indian Point will shut down for good reasons.

It has had 7 malfunctions including an explosion, radiation leaks, and an oil spill.

It was rated #1 in the US for risk of meltdown due to earthquake.

20 million people live within 50 miles of Indian Point.
riverkeeper.org/blogs/indian-p…

The uranium fuel used in nuclear plants poisons Indigenous communities and miners here and abroad.

All reactors also routinely release radioactivity.

Contrary to what pro-nuclear advocates say, there is no safe level of radiation for human health.
allianceforagreeneconomy.org/sites/default/…

In 2017, NYS signed an agreement with Entergy and @Riverkeeper to close the 2 Indian Point reactors in 2020 & 2021.

The nuclear industry is predictably sad about this.

If NY closes Indian Point and also achieves nation-leading emissions reductions, what will happen to them?😮

Nuclear boosters started trolling environmental activists to try to get us to change our minds.

They claimed that if you’re against nuclear power you are, by default, for gas.

It’s a false choice.

We blocked them and kept working on:

The nuclear industry claims that Indian Point will be replaced with new gas plants.

That isn't true.

Between Jan 2017 and the end of 2019, NYS state deployed 6,550 GWhs of energy efficiency & renewables - enough to replace Indian Point 2 which closed in 2020.

A brief published by @PhySciEng in 2020 found NY is in the process of replacing Indian Point 2x over with renewables and efficiency, and no new gas plants are needed! 🎉
psehealthyenergy.org/wp-content/upl…

The pro-nuclear crowd says they oppose gas, but they did not see the @PhySciEng brief as good news because it didn’t show any need for a nuclear bridge. 🤷

Meanwhile, environmentalists fighting gas used the brief to counter false claims that we’d need new gas plants.

After Indian Point Unit 2 closed, there was an uptick in fossil fuel generation in NY, but thanks to renewables and efficiency that went online ahead of time, fossil fuel generation in 2020 was still 5,867 GWhs (10%) lower than in 2016 before the closure agreement was signed.

So much for the pro-nuclear claim that new gas plants were needed to replace Indian Point.

Sorry (not sorry) to disappoint both the nuclear AND gas industries.

Now, Indian Point 3 is closing on April 30, and the pro-nuclear activists are FREAKING OUT.

This is their last chance to convince us it’s a mistake. They are insulting us and other environmentalists and spreading all kinds of false information about renewable energy.

Example: They say Germany is “a disaster” because it’s closing nuclear plants and building renewables.

But Germany has closed 11 nuclear plants since 2011 WHILE cutting emissions.

Germany is replacing nukes and fossil fuels with efficiency and renewables even faster than NY!

This study found that countries that focus on investing in renewables have lower carbon emissions than countries with large nuclear programs, likely because nuclear and renewables tend to “crowd each other out.”
sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…

Closer to home, the New England grid was also able to shut down two nuclear plants AND keep reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Vermont Yankee nuclear plant closed in 2014, and Pilgrim closed in 2019.

We can shut down nuclear plants AND still dramatically reduce fossil fuel use.

Let’s do this!

We need a safe and livable planet free from all forms of dirty energy.

Please share this thread and help us spread the word!

beyondindianpoint.com