Riverkeeper is a conservation group advocating for the protection of clean water from the Hudson River for public use and natural habitats. ¹ It signed a petition supporting the Green New Deal. ²

Riverkeeper has repeatedly advocated against the use of zero carbon nuclear energy. ^{3 4}

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Riverkeeper has repeatedly opposed the use of nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ⁵ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ⁶

Riverkeeper advocated for the closure of the nuclear power plant at the Indian Point Energy Center, once the source of 25 percent of the electricity for New York City. Contrary to claims by Riverkeeper and others, the plant was not replaced by weather-dependent energy sources such as wind and solar. The New York Times reported that Indian Point’s zero-carbon electricity was mostly replaced by power plants burning natural gas. ^{7 8}

Riverkeepr was one of more than 600 co-signing organizations on a January 2019 open letter to Congress titled “Legislation to Address the Urgent Threat of Climate Change.” The signatories declared their support for new laws to bring about “100 percent decarbonization” of the transportation sector but denounced nuclear power as an example of “dirty energy” that should not be included in any legislation promoting the use of so-called “renewable energy.”⁹

In May of 2021, Riverkeeper was one of 715 groups and businesses listed as a co-signer on a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate that referred to nuclear energy as a “dirty” form of energy production and a “significant” source of pollution. The letter asked federal lawmakers to reduce carbon emissions by creating a “renewable electricity standard” that promoted production of weather dependent power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels, but did not promote low carbon natural gas and zero carbon nuclear energy. ¹⁰

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1. “About Us.” Riverkeeper. https://www.riverkeeper.org/riverkeeper-mission/.
2. “Green New Deal Hub.” Influence Watch. https://www.influencewatch.org/hub/green-new-deal/.
3. Letter from Center for Biological Diversity et. al. to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Rep. Frank Pallone. “RE: CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT A FEDERAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD AND REJECT GAS AND FALSE SOLUTIONS.” May 12, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz
4. “Beyond Indian Point.” Riverkeeper. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.riverkeeper.org/campaigns/stop-polluters/indian-point/
5. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php>
6. “ The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
7. “Beyond Indian Point.” Riverkeeper. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.riverkeeper.org/campaigns/stop-polluters/indian-point/
8. McGeehan, Patrick. “Indian Point Is Shutting Down. That Means More Fossil Fuel.” New York Times. April 12, 2021. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/nyregion/indian-point-power-plant-closing.html
9. “Group letter to Congress urging Green New Deal passage.” Earthworks. January 10, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2021. https://www.earthworks.org/publications/group-letter-to-congress-urging-green-new-deal-passage/
10. Letter from Center for Biological Diversity et. al. to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Rep. Frank Pallone. “RE: CONGRESS SHOULD ENACT A FEDERAL RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD AND REJECT GAS AND FALSE SOLUTIONS.” May 12, 2021. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/energy-justice/pdfs/2021-5-12_600-Group-Letter-for-RES.pdf?_gl=1*1c9h3t8*_gcl_au*MTc3NjM3MTM1Mi4xNjg5OTU1MzAz