In New York's Hudson River Valley, a corporation called Holtec is in charge of decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear power plant. It proposed dumping the plant’s radioactive waste in the already polluted Hudson River as part of the decommissioning process and submitted a plan to dump it in August 2023.
The problem? Wastewater from Indian Point’s spent fuel contains tritium, among other contaminants. Tritium is highly radioactive, and it's linked to higher rates of cancer. Releasing it into the Hudson would threaten the drinking water of nearby towns and cities, as well as the river ecosystem.
The Food & Water Watch New York team caught wind of this outrageous proposal and knew this plan could be stopped by strategic organizing and grassroots activism. But then Holtec moved its planned dumping date up from August to May 2023, giving people even less time to make their opposition heard and rally against this toxic dumping.
Acting quickly and strategically, New York organizers worked together with local activists and allies to kick off a campaign with grassroots organizing and local community members at its heart.
It took a lot of work and a lot of people, but by August, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the “Save the Hudson” bill into law, which banned decommissioning nuclear power plants from dumping their waste in the Hudson River.
It would not have been possible without activists like you, who showed up, wrote, called, rallied, lobbied, recruited, and donated to power the campaign and propel us to victory.
I sat down with our Volunteer Leader, Iris, to discuss the campaign, Food & Water Watch’s theory of change, and how we build grassroots power to win big victories.
We're working hard and winning tough campaigns thanks to dedicated grassroots activists like you. It's how we all saved the Hudson from radioactive waste. What will we do together next?
Onward together,
Santosh Nandabalan
Senior Organizer, New York
Food & Water Watch
Food & Water Watch and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Action, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate.
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