New York Shuts Down Indian Point Nuclear Plant, As New Jersey Provides Billions In Nuclear Subsidies

A Tale Of Four States

California, Ohio, And New York Nuclear Controversies Ignored By NJ Press

Photo Caption: Indian Point nuclear power plant (Bill Wolfe)

You probably could not find a stronger or more geographically proximate contrast than how New York State and New Jersey are managing aging, costly, and unsafe nuclear power plants – and how that set of issues is reported by the media.

NJ media has reported extensively on the Murphy Administration’s multi-billion nuclear bailout.

But there’s virtually a news blackout of our New York neighbor’s recent shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Slightly off topic, but curiously, there was a similar NJ news blackout of NY Gov. Cuomo’s denial of permits for major gas pipelines. Out of the media and off the policy and activists’ agenda. Control the media and the activists and you control the policy agenda.  So, we’ll take this opportunity to repeat a question we posed long ago:

• Why Is NJ Media Keeping NY Gov. Cuomo’s Pipeline Kill A Secret?

But let’s get back to the nukes.

The NJ news blackout on New York’s nuclear shutdown follows the same news blackout on the California shutdown of nuclear power. There has been no reporting by NJ Spotlight, despite their focus on energy policy and extensive coverage of NJ’s nuclear bailout.

This is no unintentional oversight by NJ Spotlight. The California nuclear shutdown story intentionally was driven from NJ Spotlight coverage by PSE&G news management. As I wrote: 

PSE&G pulled exactly the same propaganda stunt back when PG&E announced closing of Diablo Canyon nuke plant and California regulators announced that they were phasing out nuclear power.

The California regulatory phase out decision was made just at the time that PSE&G was seeking a bailout – not a phase out – of its nuke plants.

While PG&E Diablo Canyon closure and California were phasing out nukes, NJ DEP was subsidizing and deregulating them: DEP Says Salem Nuclear Good to Go Without Cooling Towers. (I testified in opposition to that permit – another example of how PSE&G money talks to conservation groups and regulators – and wrote about it here).

Instead of reporting on California’s phase out – a policy option never even on the table in NJ– the discussion in NJ was limited to assuring the economic viability of nukes as a “zero carbon” emission source, see: Will NJ Consumers Be Hit with Zero-Emissions Surcharge for Nuclear?

And later, at precisely the time while California regulators were phasing out nukes – a major policy of national significance that NJ Spotlight never reported on –NJ Spotlight provided a platform forPSE&G sponsored content, provided former Gov. Florio a platform to support PSE&G, provided the business community a platform to support PSE&G, gave PSE&G another platform.

In addition to keeping the New York and California nuclear shutdown stories out of the NJ media – and a the alternative for a similar NJ nuke shutdown off the policy table – PSE&G has succeeded in avoiding the Ohio nuclear bailout criminal scandal from spurring a similar criminal investigation of the PDSE&G nuclear bailout. For a perfect example of this news management, see NJ Spotlight’s story:

• JCP&L faces more questions about Ohio bribery scandal

Say What?

Why would JCP&L role in the Ohio bribery scandal trigger a NJ investigation, when the PSE&G NJ nuclear bailout is not targeted for investigation? The Ohio bribery was about a nuclear bailout. The same nuclear bailout happened in NJ and this the same potential bribery corruption should be investigated.

I predicted exactly this kind of diversion when I wrote:

NJ utility giant PSE&G is desperately seeking to avoid that Ohio scandal story getting attention and investigation in NJ, because if it did, not only would PSE&G face possible criminal sanctions, the public outrage that would ensue very likely would derail renewal of PSE&G’s nuke bailout, which is currently pending before the NJ Board of Public Utilities.

NJ legislators who supported and rammed the NJ nuke bailout through the legislature and Gov. Murphy who signed it into law face the same criminal and political vulnerability.

NJ environmental groups who supported the deal also face embarrassing disclosures of how PSE&G “money talked” in influencing their support.

So, how did NJ’s premier media outlet, who focuses on energy policy, report the Ohio story?

Did NJ Spotlight explain in detail what happened in Ohio and raise potential similarities with NJ’s nuke bailout?

Did NJ Spotlight report on how PSE&G’s money talks in NJ? (even at their own publication).

No, they didn’t.

After the July 28 superficial coverage, today NJ Spotlight printed PSE&G propaganda, which was designed to create a bright shiny object to divert the attention from the Ohio scandal and put PSE&G in a positive light and influence the BPU’s upcoming nuke bailout renewal decision.

So, after the C California nuclear shutdown and now the New York nuclear shutdown, I’m guessing that there will soon be another propaganda stunt by PSE&G to be sure to keep the NY Indian Point shutdown story out of NJ Spotlight and NJ media.

As I wrote just after the California nuclear shutdown announcement:

at precisely the time while California regulators were phasing out nukes – a major policy of national significance that NJ Spotlight never reported on –NJ Spotlight provided a platform for PSE&G sponsored content, provided former Gov. Florio a platform to support PSE&G, provided the business community a platform to support PSE&G, gave PSE&G another platform.

So, there it is: from California, to Ohio, to New York, a consistent pattern of obfuscation that benefits PSE&G (who just happens to be a major donor to NJ Spotlight).

We’ve been cheering the final nails in the nuke coffin for over a decade.

And the next targets for shutdown need to be the garbage incinerators.

Just look how the Indian Point nuke plant sits just down the Hudson River from Wheelabrator’s Peekskill plant: