Huber Weighs In on NY Gov. Hochul’s Plans to Build a Nuclear Power Plant in Spectrum News Article

July 7, 2025

Spectrum News

Matthew T. Huber

Geography & the Environment Department

Center for Environmental Policy and Administration

Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict & Collaboration

Energy

New York State

State & Local

Spectrum News

Matthew T. Huber

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans for New York State to build a nuclear power plant that could produce enough power to energize one million homes. While it’s not a renewable resource, it would produce carbon-free power during its operation.

“It's no secret that nuclear has been known for being very costly,” says Matt Huber, professor of geography and the environment.

However, Huber believes that if a project is to move forward, a public one like what New York State is proposing is the way to go. While he says Georgia had problems, he also points to the post-build in which there's been some significant economic benefit.

“If you look at the announcement that Kathy Hochul made, I mean, they're very much angling for that. They think building nuclear will actually lead to not just Micron, but other kinds of large-scale manufacturing to kind of resuscitate this economy.”

Read more in the Spectrum News article, “Building a nuclear power plant would be a costly endeavor, experts say.”

Huber was also quoted in the Spectrum News article “Why Fort Drum is considered 'optimal' for a small, modular nuclear reactor.”