Congressman Mike Lawler responded on March 11 to comments from Rockland County Legislators Alden Wolfe and Beth Davidson, who oppose efforts to reopen the former Indian Point Energy Center.
Lawler said that residents in Rockland County and across the Hudson Valley are struggling with rising energy prices, which he attributes to New York’s energy policies. He pointed out that since the closure of Indian Point was announced, electricity costs in New York have increased by 58 percent, which he described as a nation-leading rise.
In his statement, Lawler referenced Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to reopen the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant. “The facility is now expected to become the first nuclear power plant in the United States to restart after being closed. Once operational again, it will provide safe, clean, and reliable electricity (over 1 GW) for roughly 800,000 homes, helping keep energy costs down,” Lawler said. He added, “If Michigan can do it, there is no reason New York can’t. We need an across-the-board approach to bring down energy prices, and reopening Indian Point will go a long way toward achieving that.”
Lawler criticized Wolfe and Davidson for their stance against reopening Indian Point. “Spineless politicians like Beth Davidson and Alden Wolfe are part of the problem; they are more interested in letting politics, not science, drive our energy decisions and are happy to kill good-paying union jobs, crush our municipalities and school districts with lost tax revenue, and stop clean, reliable, and affordable energy for consumers,” he said.
He concluded by saying he looks forward to hearing their plan for reducing energy costs: “I look forward to hearing their plan to reduce energy costs, maybe during their respective political campaigns they can inform voters how they actually plan to reduce costs.”
Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District north of New York City. He has been rated as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and was named the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress.
