Health & Fitness
The data on Indian Point
Conspiracy theorists cannot dispute or dodge the facts from the Axelrod study or numerous other independent energy experts. The simple truth is Indian Point is vital and essential for New York.
We learned how important energy was to our economy when Jimmy Carter was president. He later lost the Presidency to Ronald Reagan mainly because of high energy costs, high unemployment, and related economic disruptions.
Westchester could face a similar rude awakening if it loses Indian Point.
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Last Friday, energy expert Dr. Howard Axelrod added to the long list of independent studies and reports on the negative impacts of closing Indian Point. Dr. Axelrod unveiled the findings of his study, “An Assessment of the Energy Needs in Westchester County,” at the Business Council of Westchester’s energy forum. The report provides a clear and conservative account of the immediate negative impacts from the loss of Indian Point. The numbers are staggering.
Dr. Axelrod’s study found more than 3,300 people would lose their jobs in Westchester County alone – jobs which pump $200 million annually into the County’s economy. The study also found that Wholesale electric rates would rise 13 percent, or $374 million, annually for County residents. That increase would be higher if natural gas prices don’t stay low. The likelihood of economically disruptive blackouts would nearly quadruple. In fact, Westchester could lose $11.5 billion in economic output over 20 years.
Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Axelrod report goes on to ask the same question that other reports asked in the past, “If not Indian Point, then what?” Dr. Axelrod found the alternatives will take years to implement and at a substantial additional cost to consumers. Under even the most the most optimistic assumptions, without Indian Point, electric rates will increase, reliability will decline, and air quality will be adversely affected.
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) put this scenario in more blunt terms in its draft 2012 Reliability Needs Assessment of the electrical grid. NYISO concludes, “Voltage performance on the system without Indian Point would be degraded. To relieve the transmission security violations, load relief measures would be required for Zones G through K.” In laymen terms, this means blackouts for downstate New York.
Conspiracy theorists cannot dispute or dodge the facts from the Axelrod study or numerous other independent energy experts. The simple truth is Indian Point is vital to Westchester and essential for New York’s economy.
