​Superintendent Testifies at Joint Hearing on Indian Point

From Hendrick Hudson School District: On Tuesday, February 28, Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter, along with Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi and Buchanan Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker, offered testimony before the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications and the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Energy regarding the impact of Indian Point’s closure on the school district and community.

The hearing can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zfsuXyGH8c. Mr. Hochreiter’s testimony begins at 7:04.52 on the video recording.

The superintendent shared details of the district’s PILOT agreement with Entergy, which represents more than 30% of the school district’s annual revenue. He also explained that the district was on the verge of announcing a $14 million capital improvement project when the plant’s closure was announced. Mr. Hochreiter said that the proposed capital project, for which there was widespread community support, has since been shelved out of “fear of the unknown.”

“I was honored and humbled to represent our school community and share our unique perspective with key government officials,” said Mr. Hochreiter, who has been named a member of the newly-announced Indian Point Closure Task Force. The task force, organized by the New York State Department of Public Service, consists of both state agencies and community stakeholders, and will address employment and property tax impacts, develop new economic opportunities and work force retraining, monitor compliance with the closure agreement, coordinate ongoing safety inspections and review reliability and environmental concerns.

Photo courtesy of HHSD