Nearly 70 locally elected officials in New York are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to halt a tax subsidy program that would allow three aging nuclear power plants to remain open upstate.
A group of legislators, town supervisors and councilmembers signed a letter to Cuomo on Monday requesting the state pause the program set to begin April 1 and publicly reassess clean energy options.
Cuomo has said keeping the plants open would provide reliable energy as New York transitions half its power to renewable sources by 2030.
Some environmentalists who oppose the program estimate its cost at up to $7.6 billion over 12 years.
The Public Service Commission says the program will cost about $1 billion in the first two years, but cannot predict additional costs.