Top priority in US earthquake study: nuclear power plant near New York City
In Cuomo's battle against Indian Point, however, he's likely to have opposition from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who notes that nearly one-third of the city's power comes from the facility.
“The mayor wants to learn from Japan but realizes that we can't simply close a plant that generates 32% of NYC's power without thinking about what sources will replace it,” writes Jason Post, a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg, in an e-mail.
All in the family
While nuclear power maybe an important source of energy in New York and beyond, it is also under review in the US, particularly the 35 nuclear power plants that use the same basic design as the Fukushima plant in Japan. And Cuomo is one of those keeping pressure on regulators.
As New York’s attorney general, he asked federal regulators not to renew the license for Indian Point. Moreover, when Cuomo's father, Mario, was governor of New York, he opposed the Shoreham nuclear power plant on the grounds that it would be impossible to evacuate Long Island in case of a mishap. In 1989, the Long Island Lighting Co., which built the $6 billion plant, agreed to decommission it even before it produced any significant amount of electricity.
