Letter to the Editor: Why Buchanan Intervened in Entergy’s Sale of Indian Point to Holtec
When the Indian Point closure agreement was made in January 2017, there were three men in the room – the governor, Riverkeeper and Entergy. The host community, the Village of Buchanan, had no say. There was no one in that room protecting or looking out for the interests of the village.
With the sale of Indian Point to Holtec, it was imperative that the Village of Buchanan had a seat at the table. It was all about protecting the village’s interests. In the River Journal, it was reported that “Trustee Murray criticized the village’s expenditure of more that $27,000 to file for intervener status,” and that “for a small village it was a waste of time and money.”
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Because the village had a seat at the table, it will be receiving $1.2 million, which will give us certainty in next year’s budget. Also in the agreement are provisions related to the maintenance of local roads and expedited release of portions of the IPEC site and more.
It certainly is a great return for the time, effort and money for being an intervener. Holtec would have definitely benefited if Buchanan wasn’t an intervener and the village was left out in the cold.
My administration was accused of having lost our way with no plans for the future. Once again, nothing could be further from the truth. Since the announcement of the closure, we were laser-focused and had many discussions on what the village needed to do to survive. Now all that hard work is coming to fruition.
Although trustees Murray and Capicotti will have the opportunity to vote on the agreement, I would like to thank trustees Funchion, Zachary, Jackson and Pasquale who were on the board since the announcement and had the vision of what was needed to be done.
Also, don’t forget we were the first in the nation to get legislation passed that allows taxation of spent fuel casks. We are starting to see all the planning and hard work come to fruition. There are many more good announcements to come.
Since the announcement of the closure, my motto has been “Make it Happen.” We sure did.
Theresa Knickerbocker
Mayor, Village of Buchanan
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.