Highlighting his opposition to nuclear power ahead of the New York primary later this month, Bernie Sanders called for the shutdown of a nuclear power plant outside New York City that has leaked radioactive material into groundwater supplies. The Indian Point plant has long been a source of controversy, thanks to numerous leaks and safety concerns, but the plant would be extremely difficult to replace — it produces about a quarter of the electricity used by New York City and neighboring Westchester County. Sanders is the only candidate in either party who wants to end nuclear energy production, which currently accounts for 20% of U.S. electrical generation.
“I am very concerned that the Indian Power nuclear power reactor is more than ever before a catastrophe waiting to happen,” Sanders said Monday.
Hillary Clinton, whose Chappaqua home is about 15 miles from the plant, was one of the most vocal critics of Indian Point while she served in the Senate. “Just about every week we pick up the local newspaper and find some other problem at Indian Point,” Clinton said in 2007 as the plant faced a relicensing battle. But Clinton called for improving operations at the plant rather than shutting it down entirely.