Albany, NY — Today, the New York State Assembly passed A7208-Levenberg, which prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste from decommissioning nuclear plants into the Hudson River. S6893-Harckham passed the New York State Senate unanimously on June 9.

The legislation now heads to Governor Hochul’s desk for her signature, as Holtec International plans to dump more than one million gallons of toxic radioactive wastewater from the decommissioning Indian Point nuclear plant into the Hudson River this summer. That waste contains toxic contaminants, including radioactive tritium, exposure to which is linked to cancer, miscarriages, genetic defects and other adverse health effects.

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

“New Yorkers are up in arms over Holtec’s dangerous radioactive dump. We applaud the Senate and Assembly for siding with people over polluters, and treating this looming crisis with the urgency it deserves. All eyes are on Governor Hochul to break her silence and stop the dump. Governor Hochul must sign S6893/A7208 immediately, choosing clean water and public health over corporate polluters before it’s too late.”

This morning, activists and legislators held a press conference in Albany in support of the “Save the Hudson” bill. Earlier this month, 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.