Scenic Hudson, Inc. is a left-leaning climate advocacy nonprofit that is active on issues involving the Hudson River in New York. Scenic Hudson has been opposed to the use of zero carbon nuclear energy. ¹

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Scenic Hudson advocated for the closure of two nuclear reactors at the Indian Point nuclear facility on the Hudson River in New York, arguing in 2017 the lost energy production would be replaced “with sustainable, safe and economical energy resources.” According to a May 2023 report from the right-leaning Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, most of the production was made up by power plants burning natural gas. One month after the final reactor was closed in 2021, carbon emissions from state electricity production had increased 35 percent, as compared to two years earlier when both nuclear reactors were in operation. ^{2 3}

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. ⁴ 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. ⁵

1. “Closing Indian Point Good for the Hudson River, Public Safety and Economy.” Scenic Hudson. May 10, 2017. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.scenichudson.org/press-release/closing-indian-point-good-for-the-hudson-river-public-safety-and-economy-2/
2. “Closing Indian Point Good for the Hudson River, Public Safety and Economy.” Scenic Hudson. May 10, 2017. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.scenichudson.org/press-release/closing-indian-point-good-for-the-hudson-river-public-safety-and-economy-2/
3. Booth, Lea; and Cameron Tarry Hughes. “The Tragedy of Indian Point.” City Journal. May 19, 2023. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-tragedy-of-indian-point
4. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
5. “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2023. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/