Democrat Hypocrisy on Nuclear Power Is Radioactive
By Assemblyman Ari Brown
Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement to build a new nuclear power plant in New York is the political equivalent of a U-turn on a one-way street. After decades of fear-mongering and obstruction by Democrats against nuclear energy, suddenly it’s fashionable again—just in time for election season. The hypocrisy is staggering, and New Yorkers should not let them off the hook.
Let us not forget that it was this very party that championed the shutdown of Indian Point, a clean energy source that provided a quarter of New York City’s power. That closure led directly to more fossil fuel use and higher emissions—something the Governor herself now admits. The Democrats told us nuclear was dangerous and outdated. They paraded environmental extremists to scare the public. Now they expect applause for unveiling a plan with no site, no timeline, and no cost estimate. It is empty virtue signaling.
The sudden change of heart is not about science or safety. It is because wind and solar have proven unreliable. Blackouts are no longer hypothetical. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act is an expensive, unrealistic failure. Even tech giants like Amazon and Google now realize that nuclear energy is essential to meet surging demand.
Governor Hochul now claims, “This is not your grandparents’ nuclear reactor.” That’s ironic. It was her party and her colleagues who spent years demonizing nuclear power, making it politically untouchable. They are reaping the consequences of their own misguided policies, and now they want a political escape hatch.
If the Governor is truly committed to a reliable energy future, she should stop pretending that wind turbines—onshore or offshore—are the answer. These projects are environmental disasters, financial boondoggles, and operational failures. Ask the residents of Long Island who have had them forced upon their communities with zero local input.
New York should invest in real, proven solutions: advanced nuclear, responsible domestic drilling, and serious modernization of our grid. The state must stop closing gas plants, stop pretending battery storage will solve everything, and stop handing out green energy contracts to political allies. This is not how responsible government works.
The left has built an entire political identity on rejecting nuclear power. Now they want to quietly erase their record without a single word of accountability. This is the same party that defends “women’s rights,” unless the woman is Jewish, conservative, or inconvenient to their narrative. Their principles change with the polls.
Let us now see how many of Hochul’s Democratic allies in Albany actually support this nuclear plan. Will the same legislators who cheered the shutdown of Indian Point now back a new reactor? Or will they fall back into silence and press statements that say nothing?
New Yorkers deserve clarity and consistency, not political theater and revisionist history. We should have been investing in nuclear years ago. This energy crisis is not a coincidence—it is the direct result of Democrat policy. n
Assemblyman Ari Brown represents the 20th Assembly District, which includes the towns and villages of Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Hewlett, Woodmere, Inwood, Island Park, Lawrence and Oceanside, along with the barrier island from Atlantic Beach to Point Lookout.
