Lawmakers Launch Petition to “Save Fitzpatrick”

Central New Yorkers Asked to Show Support

Through Online Petition Available at www.SaveFitzPatrick.com

Central New York lawmakers are calling on local residents to join the fight and help “Save Fitzpatrick” by signing an online petition in support of the Oswego County nuclear power plant’s continued operation. 

Launched on www.savefitzpatrick.com by Senator Patty Ritchie, Assemblyman Will Barclay, Assemblyman Bob Oaks and Oswego County Legislature Chair Kevin Gardner, the petition comes after FitzPatrick’s parent company, Entergy Corp., announced it was considering closing the facility.    

“Each and every day, we’re fighting to create and protect jobs here in Central New York,” said State Senator Patty Ritchie.  “FitzPatrick is a vital part of our region, and it’s hard to imagine where we would be without the hundreds of jobs it provides and the tremendous positive impact it has on our region’s economy.  I’m urging anyone who feels strongly about the future of Central New York to sign this petition and show their support for FitzPatrick remaining a part of Oswego County.”

“Since Entergy’s announcement earlier this month, we’ve collectively heard from hundreds of concerned citizens and business owners who fear the worst,” said Assemblyman Will Barclay. “I’m asking those people—and the many others who know how important FitzPatrick is to our region—to take the time to visit www.SaveFitzpatrick.com and join us in the fight to protect this vitally important facility.  It’s important to our communities and to our environment that we protect this clean and reliable energy source.”

“FitzPatrick is important for so many reasons—it’s vitally important to our economy, our state’s energy grid and to the communities throughout our region it supports,” said Assemblyman Bob Oaks.  “By signing this petition, we can send a strong message to Entergy that we are united in wanting this facility to remain in our region.” 

“Whether you’ve worked there yourself, or a family member or friend has worked there, nearly everyone in Oswego County has ties to FitzPatrick—it’s an irreplaceable part of our region,” said Oswego County Legislature Chairman Kevin Gardner.  “We need to join together and fight to protect the hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue FitzPatrick supports and that’s what this petition aims to do.”

Earlier this week, New York State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan joined Senator Ritchie, Assemblyman Barclay, Assemblyman Oaks and other local leaders to discuss the future of FitzPatrick.  In addition, recently, Central New York lawmakers penned a Letter to the Editor appearing in the Syracuse Post Standard in support of FitzPatrick’s continued operation.  The letter—which urges people to show their support on social media by using the hashtag #SaveFitzPatrick—can be viewed here.

Supporting jobs for roughly 600 workers, FitzPatrick provides upwards of $18 million in property tax revenue, as well as makes hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions annually to local community events and not-for-profit organizations in the region. 

Once signatures are collected, they will be sent to Entergy Corp and the Governor.