New York Nuclear Power Plant Targeted for Closure By Cuomo

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has redoubled his efforts to close the Indian Point nuclear plant, including meetings between administration officials and executives at the company that run the plant.

Indian Point sits about 35 miles north of Manhattan, and Cuomo has cited the safety hazard it poses in vowing to shutter the plant. He intensified that campaign after Japan's Fukushima Daichi plant narrowly averted a catastrophic meltdown, saying this plant in this proximity to the city was never a good risk. He had previously called the plant a catastrophe waiting to happen and opposes renewing licenses on its reactors, which expire in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

A top Cuomo adviser reiterated this position to Entergy, the company that runs the plant, The New York Times reported. At the same time, lawmakers are working on legislation that would enable companies to get the necessary approvals to build a new nuclear site that could compensate for the loss of Indian Point, which provides New York City and Westchester with 25% of their power.

Concerns over the safety of U.S. nuclear sites have erupted in recent weeks. Nebraska's Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant has battled floodwaters that engulfed its parking lot and required engineers to temporarily rely on backup generators for power, and an Associated Press investigation revealed widespread failures in the regulation of nuclear energy as safety violations at aging plants go unreported.