TELL SCHUYLER COUNTY: NO NUKES IN THE FLX
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We need you to join us in Albany on March 25th to urge lawmakers to resist this motion by Governor Hochul and defend and implement the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act that will deliver energy affordability and real climate solutions for New York households.
New York is facing an energy affordability crisis driven by its reliance on costly, polluting fossil fuels. Gas utility bills have outpaced the rate of inflation fourfold over the past year, leading to 1 in every 7 New York households being pushed into utility debt. To lower energy costs, New York lawmakers must uphold New York’s landmark climate law that invests in clean energy and energy efficiency policies, proven solutions for lowering energy costs.
A more affordable, healthier, and climate-resilient New York is possible. We need your help to achieve it. As the legislature finalizes our state budget, your voice is crucial to ensuring New York protects policies that result in cleaner heat and lower bills.
Buses from Across the State! RSVP to get all the bus info and to join us! Link to RSVP in the Comments.
By Manna Jo Greene
PUBLISHED: March 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT
New York’s electricity prices are skyrocketing, up 23% over the last five years. Expanding nuclear power as Gov. Hochul wants to do will drive prices higher.
Building nuclear costs three to eight times more than renewables, and takes 12 to 23 years. Building solar and wind takes one to three.
Data centers don’t justify nuclear expansion. If we want to build them (some New York communities decidedly don’t), nuclear is the worst way to power them. Renewables plus battery storage would do it much faster at a fraction of the cost.
The Indian Point nuclear plant 25 miles north of New York City is shut down. But its owner Holtec is restarting other shuttered reactors, and repeatedly proposed restarting Indian Point’s reactors and/or installing small modular reactors to power a data center there. Hochul said she opposes renuclearizing Indian Point. But that hasn’t stopped Holtec, nuclear boosters, and some Republicans, from pushing for it.
Meanwhile Hochul is pushing nuclear upstate. She signed an agreement with Ontario to develop SMRs. Her Public Service Commission just approved her requested $33 billion ratepayer-financed subsidy to keep New York’s three remaining nuclear plants running 20 more years. Owned by Constellation Energy and located upstate in Wayne and Oswego Counties, these plants (including the nation’s oldest and second oldest reactors) are well past their expiration date. The $33 billion ratepayer bailout is on top of the $7.6 billion one they’re already getting.
In her 2026 State of the State address Hochul announced plans to build 4 gigawatts of new nuclear in addition to 1 gigawatt the New York Power Authority announced last year. “Go big or go home,” she said, promising to build more nuclear “than has been built anywhere in the United States in the last 30 years.” This would multiply nuclear generation in New York 2.5 times, compounding nuclear’s negative impacts on our electric bills, health, safety, environment, and climate.
Hochul frames nuclear as a “reliability backbone” and key to implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates 70% of New York’s electricity generation be carbon-free by 2030, and 100% by 2040. The state considers nuclear “zero emissions,” eligible for subsidies and climate credits, as if it’s a climate solution.
It’s not. Nuclear’s lifecycle carbon emissions are far from zero; they’re nine to 37 times higher than wind or solar. Nuclear won’t help meet climate goals, in fact it makes climate change worse by diverting resources from renewables, tying up money for projects that take decades or get cancelled.
The scoping plan for implementing the CLCPA, developed by expert panels with extensive public input, calls for wind, solar, and storage — not nuclear. Hochul is countermanding it, boosting nuclear while undercutting renewables by shelving the “cap and invest” carbon pricing program and declining to implement the Build Public Renewables Act.
“I am very frustrated and exhausted by the politics going on here,” said Assemblymember Anna Kelles at a recent joint legislative hearing on Hochul’s proposed budget. “The scoping plan [is] designed to create a pathway to meet the CLCPA goals that is the most affordable possible. I think we should follow it.”
“When we talk about how we reach our climate goals, about affordability, about reliability, the answer is all the same,” said state Sen. Pete Harckham at the hearing. “It’s renewable energy.”
New York’s climate law and implementation plan reflect this truth. Hochul’s nuclear boosterism contradicts it.
Greene served in the Ulster County Legislature from 2014 to 2026 and was the environmental action director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater from 2000 to 2023. These are her own views.
Thank you to Stephen Kent!
Manna Jo's oped is in the NY Daily News today, both in print and online: https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/03/16/hochuls-nukes-plan-is-wrong-for-n-y/
The timing today is doubly relevant since Hochul is talking about using the budget process to roll back the timeline for implementing the CLCPA (NY's climate law).
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Seneca Lake Guardian
Protect the Finger Lakes for Future Generations
Public Education | Citizen Participation | Engagement with Decision Makers | Networking with Like-Minded Organizations
Join us in understanding the urgent threats facing the Finger Lakes and take action to protect our land and waters. Industrial projects, pollution, and harmful development put our region’s health, economy, and way of life at risk. At Seneca Lake Guardian, a Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, we believe that protecting our lakes is a shared responsibility—one that requires awareness, advocacy, and community partnership. We are the only organization dedicated to actively working to protect the Finger Lakes from dirty industrial projects that could threaten the health of our lakes, our rural community character, the Finger Lakes Brand, or the livelihoods of the small business owners who depend on the lakes for their success. Together, we can defend the Finger Lakes from environmental harm and ensure they remain clean, vibrant, and thriving for generations to come. Be a part of the movement to safeguard our waters—because once they’re gone, there’s no turning back.
National Recognition Seneca Lake Guardian Vice President, Yvonne Taylor, was recently recognized as “one of the most influential climate leaders in the country” by Grist 50 for her work to protect the region and educate communities across the country on issues of solid waste, cryptomining and AI/ Data Centers. What makes this recognition especially meaningful is that it shines a national spotlight on the work Yvonne and Seneca Lake Guardian are doing, not only in New York State, but across the country. This recognition underscores the transformative impact of your support: together, we are shaping environmental policy, inspiring statewide and national movements, and proving that grassroots action can take on powerful industries and win.
A quote from Yvonne to celebrate this moment: “I’m truly humbled and honored to be recognized among so many incredible leaders. This award belongs just as much to our amazing team, our collaborators, and the community members who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us to create lasting change and inspire me every day. I remain committed to working tirelessly for a healthier, more sustainable future – for my neighbors in the Finger Lakes, for the people of New York, and for communities across the nation.”
We invite you to celebrate this achievement with us and continue standing alongside Yvonne and our team by donating today- so that we can continue to protect what matters most
Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) status. It is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist-related businesses. This is achieved through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision-makers, and networking with like-minded organizations.