For the past few months, I have been monitoring a very concerning issue. It is a major issue taking place very close to the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent and my Township of Dundee, in Massena, N.Y.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced last year that she was authorizing the construction of a mega nuclear power plant to meet the state’s energy needs. The final decision on the site that will host this plant will be announced in 2026: within the next few weeks or months.
Several cities have raised their hands to host this mega infrastructure: Rochester, Oswego… and Massena. The city of Massena is very aggressive in promoting its bid. There is, in fact, a broad consensus regarding social acceptability. The land has been identified, the electrical transmission grid is already in place, and the municipal authorities are determined to bring this project to their community.
The population also wants this plant for the good wages it could generate. We’re talking about 1,500 permanent jobs with an average annual salary of $100,000, which amounts to an annual injection of $150,000,000 into the local economy of a region that is already severely disadvantaged. In the race for this bid, only the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne opposes this project.
In the event of a nuclear accident, the immediate evacuation and contamination radius covers 50 miles—or 80 kilometers. This radius includes the entire territory of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent. Needless to say, the consequences in the event of an accident would be dire.
I would like to point out that the two nuclear reactors in Oswego currently operating on Lake Ontario have been the site of various concerning incidents since the plant began operations in 1969, including a shutdown that lasted over 30 minutes during which a reactor was shut down due to human error. A shutdown lasting two hours causes a reactor meltdown.
The exclusion zone also encompasses a Canadian population of approximately 300,000 residents, including Valleyfield and Cornwall.
Is it conceivable to consider having the MRC make representations to the Governor of New York State, and the adoption of the Mayors’ Council Resolution asking her to prioritize the Oswego, N.Y., or Rochester, N.Y., sites and avoid the Massena site, given the direct impacts on our community?
It would be appropriate to notify the offices of Premier Christine Fréchette and Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette, as well as Prime Minister Mark Carney, if possible.
We cannot sit idly by. We must act before the final decision is made public.
Stéphane Gendron, Dundee Township
Former mayor of the town of Huntingdon