Oyster Creek nuclear plant’s license to be renewed
The nation’s oldest nuclear reactor, in Lacey Township, New Jersey, was granted clearance yesterday for another 20-year operating license. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generation Station is expected to be issued a new license by April 9.
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 against an appeal filed by a coalition of watchdog and environmental groups who believe the plant is unsafe. A liner encasing the reactor that is designed to contain radioactive steam during an accident has corroded; after repeated examinations by the plant’s operator, Amergen Energy Company, the commission decided the rust was not progressing and enough metal remained for safe operation, the New York Times reported.
The Sierra Club’s New Jersey chapter called on Gov. Corzine to block the decision and called the reactor “an accident waiting to happen.”
“It is outrageous that the NRC is subjecting the region’s environment and residents to grave risk by allowing the plant to operate for another 20 years,” the group said in a statement, adding that the power generated by Oyster Creek could easily be replaced with renewable sources such as wind or solar power.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Subject the environment to what?
I have been fishing in that discharge canal for years. That clean, warm water is a thriving ecosystem that is full of fish and other animals that reproduce 12 months out of the year and feed Barnegat Bay with an endless stream of new life. I watch Ospreys and Bald Eagles, which nest nearby, fish in that canal and carry their prey back to their young right before my eyes. How many places featuring this much thriving life exist in NewJersey, the most densly populated state in the country? Damn few, that’s for sure.
Maybe the Sierra Club should acutally pay the place a visit and see for themselves before they make accusations.