Albany, NY — On Friday, the New York State Senate unanimously passed S6893-Harckham, which prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste from decommissioning nuclear plants into the Hudson River. After the Assembly failed to pass A7208-Levenberg this afternoon, activists are calling for a special session to pass the legislation, as Holtec International plans to dump one million gallons of toxic radioactive wastewater from the decommissioning Indian Point nuclear plant into the Hudson River this summer.

Food & Water Watch Senior New York Organizer Santosh Nandabalan issued the following statement:

“After decades of action to clean up the Hudson River, Holtec’s dangerous plan threatens to take us backwards. Toxic radioactive waste has no place in our water. We commend the Senate on their swift response to this looming crisis. Speaker Heastie’s leadership now stands between thousands of New Yorkers and safe, clean water. The clock is ticking — Speaker Heastie must call a special session and pass the Save the Hudson bill (A7208/S6893) immediately, so Governor Hochul can sign this critical legislation before it’s too late.”

Passage of S6893 comes days after dozens of activists traveled to Albany to demand Governor Hochul champion the bill, delivering 30 local government resolutions and over 400,000 petitions opposed to Holtec’s dump. In April, 138 groups sent a letter to Governor Hochul, urging her to stop the dump.