"In 2020, one of two reactors which had been safely operating for decades at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, NY (IP2) was prematurely shuttered. As a result, New York State lost nearly a fifth of its total nuclear capacity and 10% of all carbon-free generation statewide—more electricity than is produced annually by every solar panel and wind turbine in the state. Worse, those figures will double if Indian Point’s remaining reactor (IP3) shuts down in 2021. Most severely impacted will be downstate residents, who already suffer from air pollution and will be tied to a regional electric grid powered almost exclusively by fossil fuels starting in April.

"Despite this major setback to New York’s climate and justice goals, many well-intentioned activists are celebrating in the belief that electricity from Indian Point is being rapidly replaced by renewables and energy efficiency. Contributing to this misconception is a brief posted by Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers (PSE) last year. Titled Evaluating the potential for renewables, storage, and energy efficiency to offset retiring nuclear power generation in New York, PSE’s brief has been referenced in opinion pieces and anti-nuclear mailings as evidence that the state does not need nuclear power and is well on its way to a 100% renewable grid. This is not so."