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| Oyster Creek Generating Station in Lacey Township, NJ (Getty photo) |
By Janet Tauro
NJ Board Chairperson for Clean Water Action
It certainly sounds like good news! A New Jersey-based company wants to buy the dilapidated Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township and promises a speedy decommissioning within nine years.
That would seem like welcome news after a recent chorus of outrage from local residents and environmental groups to Exelon’s plan to take up to 60 years to decommission the plant after it ceases operation in just a short while, September 17.
But, before there is any celebration, there are many angles to consider.
Holtec International, the Camden-based company interested in buying Oyster Creek is also the manufacturer of dry casks. It seems a conflict of interest for Holtec to both manage the Oyster Creek decommissioning, and then market their dry casks for the storage of the highly radioactive waste that has accumulated since the plant began operation in 1969.
Holtec International also has an application before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to open an interim nuclear waste storage facility in New Mexico. Oyster Creek’s 1.2 million pounds of waste would be shipped there if the site is approved. That may cause a huge sigh of relief for those of us living in Ocean County, but think of the logistics. That waste would be shipped across country by road, rail, or barge through densely populated areas. They would be deadly, traveling mini-Chernobyls; an incredibly high safety risk for millions.
The unvarnished, sad truth is that there isn’t a technology on earth that can address the question of how to safely store highly radioactive waste for thousands upon thousands of years. When talking about options, there are no best options. There are only least-bad options.
During the relicensing process over a decade ago, a coalition of citizens and environmental groups showed that areas of Oyster Creek were extensively corroded and degrading. This rusting plant won’t be generating electricity in another 6 weeks. So, why would a firm want to buy the plant? Included in the deal is Oyster Creek’s over $550 million decommissioning fund. Will every single cent of that fund, money that was generated by New Jersey ratepayers, go toward the decommissioning Oyster Creek? Who will ensure that no corners are cut for corporate profit?
These are questions that need to be asked and thoroughly vetted.
The crucial missing piece here is a state-legislated independent nuclear decommissioning citizen advisory panel. Both Vermont and Maine established oversight panels when the Yankee nuclear plants were closed and decommissioned.
Independence and transparency will be essential, particularly since the NRC plans on having only one inspector on site during decommissioning. Public safety, health, and care for the environment should not be put at risk.
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