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The Business Council of New York State opposes this legislation that would establish new, onerous and unlawful requirements for the Indian Point Energy Center. Current laws and regulations provide workers, the public service commission, and the operator of the competitive wholesale markets with the proper role in the transition of a closed facility.
The legislation would require a successor to the Indian Point Energy Center to the maximum extent practicable retain current employees; and pay prevailing wage.
Prevailing wage is the pay rate for work on a public project. The Indian Point Energy Center is owned and operated by Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries and as such, does not receive public financial support. Subject to regulatory approvals, the projected new owner (Holtec International) is a privately held company. As neither Entergy nor the projected future owner Indian Point receive public financial support, the application of prevailing wage under state law does not apply.
It should be noted that the UWUA Local 1-2 reached a four year agreement with Entergy, ensuring the required level equal staffing needed to operate the plant through April 30, 2021 is available. The successful negotiations also resulted in ongoing discussions between Entergy and Local 1-2 regarding preparing the site for decommissioning post-closure.
For the reasons stated above, we encourage that bill not be advanced.