Andy Kim: NRC Should Listen To Lacey's Concerns On Nuclear Plant

LACEY, N.J. — Lacey residents have voiced concerns to Congressman Andy Kim about the decommissioning process of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. Kim sent a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday requesting the NRC hold public meetings about the issue in Ocean County.

"The residents of Lacey have been incredible in terms of their level of vigilance on this," Kim told Patch. "The depth of knowledge they have of what’s going on and what I’m hearing from their questions – the level of depth is really great. They’d prefer to have a dialogue and have their questions responded to."

Residents have raised concerns to Kim such as what will happen, timeline and health effects, Kim said. The NRC intends to host 10 public meetings to address the best practices for decommissioning the nuclear power reactors. But he does not know whether any meetings will take place in Ocean County.

The power plant permanently ceased operations Sept. 17 after operating since Dec. 23, 1969. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission began plans to keep a resident inspector on the site for the next several months, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said in September.

"The inspector will be focusing on the site's safe transition from an operating reactor to one that is entering the decommissioning phase of its life cycle," he said.

Several members around the Lacey community wrote concerns, questions and opinions to Patch.

"What a mess!" said Mary Ellen. "No place to safely store it and even transporting it is problematic. Even when Oyster Creek is decommissioned that waste will still be a threat to the surrounding communities."

"We deserve open hearings and full disclosure of problems re: buyer," said Jay Burnett.

Camden-based Holtec International and Exelon announced in late July that Holtec wants to buy Oyster Creek, a move that could speed up the decades-long decommissioning of the oldest nuclear plant in the United States.

Read more: The End Of A Nuclear Era: Oyster Creek's Last Day Is Monday

"They should go over to natural gas," said Brandon Arroyo. "All these people are bugging but nuclear is so strictly regulated that they can't cut corners. There is no real concern of them taking that plant down."

Kim hopes the NRC also arrives to the conclusion that they should hold public meetings in Ocean County. He said he's had meetings with Lacey residents who want to discuss the next steps but don't have great transparency on that front.

"We want to have transparency on this dialogue on what is moving forward and the timeline and the details," Kim said.

Here is Kim's letter to the NRC below:

To Whom it May Concern,

We write to you regarding the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)’s intent to host public meetings seeking to address the best practices for the establishment and use of a local community advisory board at decommissioning nuclear power reactors. We strongly urge NRC to host one of its ten planned public meetings in Ocean County, New Jersey.

In issuing a best practices report on the use of local community advisory boards for decommissioning activities, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) requires NRC consultation of local stakeholders and host states in a series of ten Category 3 public meetings. Under NEIMA, priority must be given to states that have a nuclear power reactor currently undergoing the decommissioning process, while taking into consideration geographically diverse representation. These meetings aim to address communities that would be impacted by current or future decommissioning activities to provide an accurate assessment of community needs and highlight local concerns.

With 1,210 persons per square mile, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country and is home to four nuclear power plants including one plant, Oyster Creek Generating Station, currently undergoing the decommissioning process located in Ocean County, New Jersey. We find it necessary to consider the opinions of communities not only directly impacted by this decommissioning process, but also those across New Jersey that would be affected by future decommissioning activities. For these reasons, we find it necessary and appropriate for the NRC to allow residents of New Jersey and the surrounding region the opportunity to comment publicly.

Public involvement is a cornerstone of a strong and fair in decommissioning process. We appreciate the NRC’s efforts to engage the public in its decommissioning activities and hope our constituents will have the opportunity to comment and offer insight in a local and official forum.

Should you require any additional information, please contact Rep. Andy Kim’s office at (202) 225-4765.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Andy Kim

Member of Congress

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