--- ---  # Bernie Sanders Calls for Shutting Down Nuclear Plant Outside New York City by [Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/) ## Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News Apr 4, 2016 5:27 PM UTC  2016 Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) waves to supporters at a campaign event at Saint Mary's Park on March 31, 2016 in New York City. 2016 Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) waves to supporters at a campaign event at Saint Mary's Park on March 31, 2016 in New York City.D Dipasupil—WireImage/Getty Images by [Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/) ## Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News Apr 4, 2016 5:27 PM UTC Highlighting his opposition to nuclear power ahead of the Empire State’s primary later this month, Bernie Sanders is calling for the shutdown of a nuclear power plant outside New York City that has leaked radioactive material into groundwater supplies. The Indian Point plant has long been a [source of controversy](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18615570/ns/us%5Fnews-environment/t/indian-point-nuclear-plant-critics-war-path/#.VwKGSeIrLGg), thanks to numerous leaks and safety concerns. In February, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the latest leak at the plant “[unacceptable](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-regarding-indian-point-nuclear-facility).” But the plant produces about a quarter of the electricity used by New York City and neighboring Westchester County, making it difficult to replace. “I am very concerned… [_Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News_](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/bernie-sanders-calls-shutting-down-new-york-nuke-plant-n550331?cid=par-time-article%5F20141002) Bernie Sanders: Shut Down Nuclear Plant Outside New York ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4280928/bernie-sanders-power-plant/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4280928/bernie-sanders-power-plant/"},"headline":"Bernie Sanders Calls for Shutting Down Nuclear Plant Outside New York City","datePublished":"2016-04-04T17:27:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:26:37.522Z","description":"Radioactive materials have been leaked into groundwater supplies","url":"https://time.com/4280928/bernie-sanders-power-plant/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","New York"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e95a58f3f3bb035/69888d8fab6d77a3df6a9194/bernie-sanders-nuclear-power-plant-shut-down.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e95a58f3f3bb035/69888d8fab6d77a3df6a9194/bernie-sanders-nuclear-power-plant-shut-down.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A Future to Believe In Bronx Rally","caption":"2016 Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) waves to supporters at a campaign event at Saint Mary's Park on March 31, 2016 in New York City.","creditText":"D Dipasupil—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4280928/bernie-sanders-power-plant/","name":"Bernie Sanders Calls for Shutting Down Nuclear Plant Outside New York City"}}]}] ```