Following reports that Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the owner of the Indian Point nuclear power plant have been hashing out a deal to close the plant by 2021, Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino says such a plan would wreak economic havoc.
The New York Times first reported such a deal Friday. County Executive Astorino commented on the news hours later.
“This is a complete surprise to me and all the officials affected by this,” Astorino says. “And, at the very least, going forward, we think we should be at the table to take part in these kinds of discussions unless it’s a done deal. And if it’s a done deal, the economic consequences could be catastrophic.”
He says in addition to the potential loss of more than 1,000 jobs, the Westchester plant’s closure would shrink the local tax base. Cuomo has long called for the closure of Indian Point. His spokesman Friday said there is no agreement. A spokesman for Indian Point parent Entergy declined to comment.
