New York’s announcement in June 2025 to pursue construction of a new nuclear power plant has been met with immediate and vocal opposition from leading environmental organizations, public power advocates, and some lawmakers. Critics argue the plan is costly, risky, and diverts resources from renewables and grid modernization.
Environmental Groups: “A Step Backward”
Food & Water Watch, one of the state’s most prominent environmental groups, sharply criticized the proposal.
“Governor Hochul’s nuclear gamble is a reckless distraction from the clean, affordable energy New Yorkers actually need. 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.”
Alex Beauchamp, Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director
The group further warned that nuclear projects are “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.” Food & Water Watch urged the state to focus on “affordable, job-creating renewable energy — like wind, solar, and energy efficiency — that can deliver results now, not years or decades down the line.”
The Public Power NY Coalition, representing a broad alliance of climate and energy justice organizations, released a statement calling the governor’s proposal “a distraction from the urgent need to build out renewables.” The coalition said, “NYPA should be laser focused on rapidly scaling up their buildout of affordable solar and wind which is the only way to meet the state’s science-based climate goals and lower energy bills.” The coalition also emphasized that the nuclear plan would “divert public resources and attention away from proven, safe, and job-creating clean energy solutions.”
“Expanding nuclear energy in New York would be an ‘extremely expensive’ pursuit that also poses ‘real, serious environmental (and) health risks.’ It’s a horrifically irresponsible pursuit of a technology that creates long-lived deadly radioactive waste.”
Anne Rabe, Coordinator, Don’t Waste New York and former senior advisor, New York Public Interest Research Group
The Debate Continues
While Governor Hochul and supporters argue that nuclear energy is essential for grid reliability and decarbonization, critics remain unconvinced. The debate over the role of nuclear power in New York’s climate strategy is expected to intensify as the state moves forward with feasibility studies and planning.
Sources
- “Environmentalists are not on board with Hochul’s new nuclear plant,” City & State NY, June 24, 2025, https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/06/environmentalists-are-not-board-hochuls-new-nuclear-plant/406257/
- “Hochul’s Nuclear Announcement Is a Costly, Misguided Mistake,” Food & Water Watch, June 23, 2025, https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2025/06/23/hochuls-nuclear-announcement-is-a-costly-misguided-mistake/
- “Public Power NY Responds to Hochul’s Order for New York Power Authority to Build Nuclear Energy,” Public Power NY, June 23, 2025, https://publicpowerny.org/press-releases/public-power-ny-responds-to-hochuls-order-for-new-york-power-authority-to-build-nuclear-energy/
- “Upstate New York eyed for first new nuclear power plant in a generation,” WXXI News, June 23, 2025, https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2025-06-23/first-new-nuclear-plant-in-a-generation-to-be-built-in-upstate-new-york
- “New York Again Embraces Nuclear Power With Plans to Build New Plant,” The New York Times, June 23, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/nyregion/new-york-nuclear-power-plant.html
