A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN THE FINGER LAKES? Sign our petition urging Schuyler County to rescind its bid to site a nuclear power plant in the FLX https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9LT6mMM_gAm3YEIzSCKuPLDR4RqVSnAIZL-c66P9pH_ssiA/viewform?usp=header

Are you ready to consider the ramifications of having a nuclear power plant constructed and functioning in the Finger Lakes? If this thought makes you feel uneasy (at the least), read further in this article about a speaker's program held on April 9 at St. James Episcopal Church in Watkins Glen entitled, "Nuclear in the FLX: Presentation and Discussion on the Risks, Cost, and Community Impacts". It was sponsored by Seneca Lake Guardian. The moderator was Joseph Campbell, SLG's President.

Yvonne Taylor, SLG's Vice-President was the first speaker of the evening. This first article of a series about this speaker's program covers much of her presentation. She recalled that in June 2025, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) sent invitations to New York communities to see if they were interested in hosting nuclear-related development. Early this year communities that showed interest were announced. All seven were Upstate communities and included Schuyler County. (The business park RED Rochester also showed interest.) She reported that the Schuyler Industrial Development Agency's response was to have a county economic entity, the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED), submit a Request for Information to the NYPA, identifying the former shock camp (Camp Monterey) as a potential site for a "small" reactor (or a deep-source geothermal site). This vote was unanimous, with Larry Ward initiating the vote and Margaret Lawrence seconding.

A freedom of information request netted the 433-page submission by SCOPED. The document stated that there was, "strong community support potential" (my emphasis) for nuclear development. A letter of support from the Town of Orange was included and support by Schuyler County leadership at multiple levels was announced, including Orange's legislative representative, Chair of the Legislature Carl Blowers, and County Administrator M. Shawn Rosno.

In March, SCOPED announced a state-enabled financing program (C-PACE) that would allow a commercial property owner to partly fund energy projects through a property tax assessment. These tax funds could be used to support the infrastructure around a nuclear power plant in Monterey.

Yvonne then started listing the risks of an operating nuclear plant in our midst, including imagining a nuclear accident during NASCAR weekend or a drone attack on a busy summer weekend spreading radioactivity across the region. Also, a study done at Harvard last year showed an increase in cancer rates within a 19-mile radius of operating nuclear plants in Massachusetts. This area locally would include a population of 110,000 (nearly all of Schuyler County, and the cities of Elmira Heights, Corning, Bath and Hammondsport).

Note that the Trump administration is relaxing safety regulations and permitting rules for nuclear facilities. Ms. Taylor stated that the President himself (with nuclear industry chiefs onlooking) stated that, "It's a hot industry! It's a brilliant industry! It's very safe!" However, the Union of Concerned Scientists Nuclear Safety Director stated that, "They're taking a wrecking ball to the system of nuclear safety and security regulation oversight that has kept the US from having another Three Mile Island accident. I am absolutely worried about the safety of these reactors."

Ms. Taylor proceeded to ask why nuclear power back is the fold in New York as an energy source now. One reason is the impending rise of hyperscale AI data centers. Some corporate executives and government officials purport that, "the world is at the dawn of a new nuclear age that will provide cheap energy and satiate AI's staggering energy appetite." In June 2025 Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in an Oval Office press conference that, "what we do in the next five years will determine what we do for the next 50, related to electricity, because this is the first time in history where electricity can be translated into intelligence." In the same presentation, President Trump stated that AI plants need "tremendous electricity". He then asked Jacob DeWitte (CEO of a nuclear power plant company), "Will a lot of them (AI data centers) be using nuclear? DeWitte responded that, "nuclear is a perfect solution and that's where most of them are." Data centers are extremely energy and water intensive. They raise the electrical bill for everyday people and businesses. They don't create a lot of jobs and cause huge problems with noise. Ms. Taylor stated that the Executive Director of SCOPED in an email to her board stated that a small nuclear reactor could be used as a year-round source for a high energy user.

Yvonne closed by stating that our beautiful area has an economy that relies on clean air and water and that we must do a commonsense risk vs reward analysis that takes into account the cost, pace, and safety of nuclear development before raising our hand to be picked for development. Why invest in a dangerous, outdated, and expensive technology, while safe renewable solutions are already here?

Look for the upcoming Part 2 of this series featuring the comments of Tim Judson, Executive Director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, on nuclear waste and nuclear safety.