Albany, NY — Governor Hochul has announced plans to build a new nuclear power plant in Upstate New York — a major escalation of her administration’s misguided embrace of nuclear power. The move drags New York deeper into a failed playbook of costly delays and corporate handouts, while ignoring real climate solutions that are ready to build today.

Nuclear remains one of the most expensive and slowest forms of energy to build, with recent projects across the country plagued by decade-long delays and massive cost overruns. Instead of pouring public resources into risky nuclear development, the Hochul administration should be accelerating New York’s transition to affordable, job-creating renewable energy — like wind, solar, and energy efficiency — that can deliver results now, not years or decades down the line.

“Governor Hochul’s nuclear gamble is a reckless distraction from the clean, affordable energy New Yorkers actually need,” said Alex Beauchamp, Northern Region Director at Food & Water Watch. “Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous, and wildly expensive — and this project will leave New Yorkers footing the bill while delaying urgently needed progress on renewables. Hochul needs to stop chasing false solutions and start delivering real climate action.”

The governor has consistently dragged her feet on implementing New York’s landmark 2019 climate law, and has signaled increasing openness to fossil fuel infrastructure — despite widespread public opposition. Her decision to pursue nuclear only reinforces a troubling pattern of prioritizing polluting industries over proven climate solutions.