September 14, 2015 — Hearings began Monday on a proposal to close the Indian Point nuclear plant for part of each summer to protect fish during spawning season.
About 30 witnesses are expected to testify at hearings at the state Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany.
The DEC estimates that Indian Point’s system for withdrawing and discharging water from the Hudson River kills more than 1 billion fish, eggs and larvae every year.
The hearings will address proposals to shut the plant for 42 to 92 days each summer when fish are spawning.
“We look forward to providing the court with sensible alternatives to the destruction of a shocking percentage of Hudson River fish,” Cristopher Len, Hudson program director for the environmental group Riverkeeper, said in a statement.