College faculty members from across the state are joining New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and more than 130 other local, statewide and national organizations to express their opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to hike New Yorkers’ electricity bills by nearly $8 billion to subsidize failing nuclear power plants near Oswego and Rochester owned by Chicago-based Exelon Corporation.
“Nuclear energy is a 20th century technology that does not deserve further subsidies,” said NYPIRG Project Coordinator Eric Wood. “It is costly, unsafe, and poses public health and environmental hazards. By joining California in phasing out nuclear power, New York can help lead the nation into a 21st century renewable energy future that keeps up with the needs of society.”
Among the faculty members who signed onto the letter was political science and law professor Dr. Daniel Lipson. Lipson said that “nuclear power poses excessive risks to health and safety resulting from machine and human malfunction, nuclear waste storage and disposal, catastrophic meltdowns resulting from natural disasters and even terrorist attacks.”
The organizations, faculty members and tens of thousands of individuals advocating the #StopTheCuomoTax campaign believe that New Yorkers deserve the opportunity for good long-term careers in thriving, clean energy industries, and our children deserve a safe and affordable energy future. They are urging the governor to abandon the nuclear bailout scheme and instead accelerate the state’s momentum to a cleaner, safer energy future by investing in truly green alternatives including energy efficiency, solar and wind power.
More information is available at www.StopTheCuomoTax.org.