Overview

• U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled that New York’s 2023 “Save the Hudson” law is preempted because it blocks a federally accepted disposal method.
• He wrote the statute “categorically precludes Holtec from utilizing a federally accepted method of disposal” and directly affects radiological safety decisions.
• Holtec said it will proceed with decommissioning and maintains its plan to release treated, diluted tritiated water complies with NRC licenses and standards.
• The company previously warned the state ban could have delayed completion to 2041, and the New York attorney general’s office did not comment after the ruling.
• New York officials had alleged unlawful discharges in late 2023, which Holtec contends involved groundwater and stormwater not tied to decommissioning.