| Oyster Creek, the nation's oldest commercial | | | | watchdogs of the 40-year-old plant. The fact |
| nuclear power plant, began operating in 1969 and | | | | they have been destroyed, assuming they |
| is literally rotting at its core. Experts say that | | | | existed in the first place, heightens concerns that |
| Oyster Creek is past its time and the plant's | | | | the application review process was flawed. |
| design is unsafe. Its existing license will expire next | | | | Exelon, the corporation that owns Oyster Creek, |
| April, however, a 20-year license renewal is | | | | failed to meet an NRC requirement and disposed |
| currently undergoing appeals, which - if passed, | | | | of water leakage without testing it for |
| would allow Oyster Creek to run until 2029. | | | | contamination. An NRC inspection report notes |
| The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has | | | | their failure to monitor water runoff, but does not |
| the authority to determine whether Oyster Creek | | | | take enforcement action against Exelon. "NRC's |
| can renew their license. The NRC is the federal | | | | offering of endless last chances to Oyster Creek |
| agency in charge of regulating the nuclear industry | | | | for repeated violations is a dangerous dodge of its |
| to ensure that safety codes are met. | | | | regulatory responsibility," said Paul Gunter of |
| Rutgers Law Clinic attorney Richard Webster has | | | | Nuclear Information and Resource Service. |
| filed a court challenge to suspend the re-licensing | | | | The NRC and Exelon's failure to act on possible |
| plan. Webster believes the government's | | | | corrosion on the drywell liner is symptomatic of |
| re-licensing process limits public input and largely | | | | larger problems, according to a coalition of six |
| ignores pressing safety issues at aging plants. "We | | | | watchdog groups. If the drywell liner were to |
| hope that the NRC will wake up and protect | | | | corrode enough, in the event of a nuclear |
| people and not the interests of the nuclear | | | | accident, it could threaten over one million people. |
| industry," he states. | | | | Throughout Oyster Creek's relicensing process, |
| In defense of NRC re-licensing procedures, NRC | | | | attempts to gather information about its safety |
| Chairman Dale Klein says the NRC insists that | | | | have repeatedly been refused or obstructed by |
| plants seeking a 20-year extension operate "just | | | | red tape. "We cannot rely on Exelon to tell us the |
| as safely as they have been." | | | | truth about Oyster Creek or follow commitments |
| At a recent hearing, Klein said, "Each re-licensing | | | | key to its safety," said Adam Garber, Consumer |
| application is thoroughly reviewed, and NRC staff | | | | Advocate for New Jersey Public Interest |
| members spend more than 10,000 hours per | | | | Research Group. "Without that assurance, we are |
| reactor." He added that the NRC is following | | | | letting Exelon and the NRC roll the dice with |
| through on improvement recommendations issued | | | | Oyster Creek, and it will be New Jersey residents |
| last year by the agency's in-house watchdog, | | | | who pay the debt." |
| Inspector General Hubert Bell. In his written | | | | Economic Benefits to Plant Closing There will be |
| testimony, Bell said "the re-licensing process has | | | | more money circulating in the economy after |
| shortcomings. NRC inspectors don't always | | | | Oyster Creek shuts down. AmerGen will spend |
| independently verify information provided by | | | | around $650 million over a 10-year period to clean |
| nuclear plant operators and sometimes fail to | | | | up the site. They will employ around 300 workers, |
| ensure that the plants implement NRC-required | | | | mostly unionized. The site will eventually be used |
| steps before license renewals." | | | | by some business that will generate economic |
| New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg requested a | | | | activity, employ people and pay taxes. |
| hearing with the NRC, where he criticized their | | | | Security and Spent fuel |
| procedures, citing an Inspector General report | | | | The NRC required plants to spend billions after the |
| that said the NRC "probably" does safety analysis | | | | 9/11 terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the NRC |
| as part of the re-licensing process. "The | | | | neglected unprotected spent fuel pools. If the |
| communities surrounding the Oyster Creek facility | | | | plant continues to operate, the amount of spent |
| cannot rely on 'probably,'" Lautenberg said in a | | | | fuel stored there will continue to accumulate. |
| statement. "The NRC has an obligation to conduct | | | | New Jersey Gov. Corzine requested a review of |
| real oversight of the nation's nuclear plants." | | | | the Oyster Creek emergency plan, which was not |
| This year an audit of the license renewal process | | | | done. Apparently, the plan has not considered the |
| by the Inspector General found that information | | | | consequences of a spent fuel pool attack. Lacey |
| provided in NRC safety evaluation reports was | | | | Township will have the spent fuel for a very long |
| identical, or nearly identical, to the corresponding | | | | time. Most of it will remain in a pool of water, |
| applications, casting doubt on whether the NRC | | | | never designed as a storage facility, 100 feet |
| independently reviewed the applications. | | | | above the ground, with only sheet metal between |
| Disturbed by the findings, the Inspector General | | | | it and you. The safest course of action is to close |
| reviewed how the NRC staff prepared the | | | | Oyster Creek, remove all the spent fuel from the |
| reports documenting their assessments at four | | | | spent fuel pool, put it in safety canisters, and |
| nuclear plants, including Oyster Creek. According | | | | force the Energy Department to take it all away |
| to a recent memo from the Inspector General's | | | | - but where? |
| Office, the audit revealed that application | | | | Dennis Zannoni, former chief nuclear engineer for |
| documents and working papers used to support | | | | the NJ Department of Environmental Protection |
| the review and approval of the application were | | | | has stated, "I have been involved with Oyster |
| destroyed by NRC staff. "Consequently," the | | | | Creek for 20 years. My goal was to do what I |
| memo concluded, "the failure to retain applicant | | | | could to make the plant safer. Oyster Creek's |
| documents and NRC working papers made it | | | | time is up. Close it, clean up the site and ready |
| difficult to verify specific details of staff on-site | | | | the property for the next business. Zannoni was |
| review activities." In other words, it was | | | | reassigned from his position as chief nuclear |
| impossible to determine whether the reviews | | | | engineer of the DEP last year in response to what |
| were done properly. | | | | he says is an unspecified complaint from an NRC |
| The supporting documents prepared during on-site | | | | staffer. He has said it may take a march to close |
| reviews would likely have been subpoenaed by | | | | the plant. |