Federal Judge To Allow Dumping Of 40,000+ Gallons Of Radioactive Water Into Major River

A federal judge ruled that approximately 45,000 gallons of radioactive water from a defunct nuclear plant in New York can be dumped into the Hudson River.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas sided with New Jersey-based Holtec International, which sued New York State last year.

The company argued that only the federal government has the authority to regulate the discharge of the Indian Point plant’s nuclear waste.

The ruling reverses the Empire State’s “Save The Hudson” law that sought to prevent the dumping of waste into the waterway.

“I am deeply disappointed by the federal court’s decision that federal law preempts New York law, allowing Holtec International to move forward with plans that could result in radioactive wastewater being discharged into the Hudson River,” Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, according to Interesting Engineering.

This is a terrible idea, there is a Plan to pump 45,000 gallons of RADIOACTIVE water into New York’s Hudson River

A federal judge ruled in favor of New Jersey-based Holtec International, which sued New York last year to challenge the state’s ban on discharging radiological… pic.twitter.com/Sz9ZxAoOGL

— Wake Up NJ New Jersey (@wakeupnj) October 2, 2025

More from the New York Post:

Judge Karas agreed, writing in his decision that the 2023 law “categorically precludes Holtec from utilizing a federally accepted method of disposal.”

The company further argued that Indian Point had routinely made similar discharges while operating for over five decades in the downstate power plant.

Holtec praised the ruling and assured worried New Yorkers that the radioactive dumping will be conducted according to federal regulations.

“We will continue to decommission the Indian Point site in an environmentally responsible manner working with local, state and federal stakeholders,” the company said in a statement reported by Reuters.

Indian Point, which sits on the Hudson River about 35 miles north of Manhattan, was closed in 2021 after years of public outcry from the local community over environmental concerns.

Despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s celebration and signing of the “Save The Hudson” law, she slammed the closure of Indian Point as short-sighted while announcing plans for a new nuclear facility.

“This ruling disregards the intent of New York’s law, that directed Holtec to use the tremendous amount of decommissioning funds available and use a more expensive method of disposal to protect both people’s lives and our environment,” Jenkins commented.

Holtec International purchased Indian Point Energy Center in 2021 through a deal allowing the site’s immediate decommissioning.

45K gallons of radioactive water to be dumped into Hudson River from Indian Point nuclear plant https://t.co/SaFqoYbyoZ pic.twitter.com/KjYkT2UH3l

— New York Post (@nypost) October 3, 2025

Interesting Engineering provided further info:

Earlier, Holtec revealed that to decommission a nuclear power plant, the licensee must submit A Post‐Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) to the NRC. The licensee has to reduce the residual radioactivity to levels that permit release of the property and termination of the facility’s operating license. The site must be decommissioned within 60 years of the plant ceasing operations.

Attorneys for Holtec argued that the radiation exposure from Indian Point discharge was estimated to remain well within regulated safety limits. Throughout the operation of Indian Point, millions of gallons of water containing tritium were already discharged into the Hudson River, reported Times Union.