NJ Environmental Federation and member groups have been working to protect Barnegat Bay, a critical ecoystem in New Jersey, from the damaging effects of Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant, one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the country with a history of numerous safety violations - including leaking radioactive waste.

Latest News

Read our latest Opinion Editorial, Make Plant Safer, or Close it Now, written by Janet Tauro, NJEF Board Chair. 

Victory

On December 16, 2010, we celebrated a victory when Governor Christie announced closure of Oyster Creek Nuclear plant in 9 years. This announcement came as a result of our pressure to require cooling towers at the plant and Exelon's refusal to do so, leading to its ultimate shut down.

Several years ago, although we opposed the relicensing, Exelon received permission from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to continue operating Oyster Creek, which opened in 1969, through 2029. The company announced last week that it will retire the facility in 2019.

Peggi Sturmfels, program organizer for the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), the New Jersey Chapter of Clean Water Action, called the early shutdown "a win for the long-term health of Barnegat Bay" and noted that cooling tower litigation and federal regulation would likely have taken longer with an uncertain result.

Lynn Thorp, national programs coordinator for Clean Water Action, pointed to water protection concerns as a key consideration at Oyster Creek and other plants nationwide.

"Nuclear plants, especially older ones like Oyster Creek, pose serious water problems. In addition to leaks, these plants consume and waste large quantities of water in the cooling process," said Thorp. "Throughout the entire nuclear cycle, from mining and processing into fuel, to plant operations and the still-unsolved waste management challenges, this technology places our water at risk and adds to the already-staggering costs," she added.

Amy Goldsmith, state director of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said the planned closure of Oyster Creek opens up new avenues for the state to pursue green technology.

"We now have more tools at our disposal to save the Barnegat Bay and prevent future public and ecological harm from radiation, fish kills, and thermal pollution," Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith noted that even though the plant will shut down, a majority of the work force will be employed through a decommissioning phase that could last a decade, and the security and management of the tons of accumulated radioactive nuclear waste will continue forever.

"We will continue our work as advocates with the administration and all stakeholders to restore the bay, and ensure a just transition for workers," Goldsmith said.

Barnegat Bay Must Be Protected

• Over 500,000 people live within the Barnegat Bay watershed year round, with double that number due to summer.
• The Barnegat Bay estuary covers 42 miles of shoreline and is home to crabs, fish, birds, and other wildlife.
• The continued economic and environmental health of the watershed and estuary is dependent on the continued health of its waters.
• Right now Barnegat Bay is literally dying because of excessive environmental pollution. In addition to problems from storm water runoff, it faces extreme pressure from Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant’s outdated design and structural/environmental/safety problems.
• The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recently announced that new test results that found groundwater contamination from Exelon's Oyster Creek nuclear plant was greater than expected, having spread to the Cohansey aquifer, a major source of drinking water for South Jerseyans. The radioactive contaminant, tritium, was found at over 50 times the federal drinking water standard.
• Currently the plant operates without cooling towers. This means that every day the plant is allowed to send 1.4 billion gallons of superheated discharge water into the bay, releasing harmful chemicals and causing major ecoysystem disruption and fish kills - a clear violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

Oyster Creek News

• NJ: We don't want nuclear waste hanging around for 60 years!
• Delaware energy: Spent fuel rods piling up at nearby nuclear plants
• NJ opposes 60-year storage for spent nuclear fuel
• Japan disaster spurs court to revisit safety of Exelon-owned nuclear plant
• Oldest US nuclear reactor: a 'disaster' in waiting?
• Concerns Grow in U.S. Over Nuclear Plants
• Japan disaster puts spotlight on 4-decade-old Exelon-owned nuclear plant
• Independent voices needed for nuke pane
• Feds Rate Region's Nuclear Fleet "Safe" But Japanese Problems Fuel Skepticism
• Oyster Creek may set precedent for older power plants
• Groups praise firm's decision to close Oyster Creek facility
• Gov. Christie unveils plan to clean up Barnegat Bay
• With Exelon to shut Oyster Creek reactor, N.J. plans Barnegat Bay cleanup
• Oyster Creek Nuclear Deal Draws Some Fire
• Barnegat Bay report due by late summer
• N.J. DEP chief criticizes Exelon's response to radioactive-water leaks at Oyster Creek nuclear reactor
• Exelon Punts on Oyster Creek Nuke Plant Leak, NJDEP and Environmentalists Kick Back
• Oyster Creek Leak Worse Than Expected
• Radioactive Leaks at Oyster Creek
• Final Barnegat Bay stakeholder meeting finds many culprits but few easy cures
• N.J. DEP chief criticizes Exelon's response to radioactive-water leaks at Oyster Creek nuclear reactor
• New Jersey water 'radioactive'
• Nuclear water leaks into N.J. aquifer
• Barnegat Bay study a DEP priority, says agency's new leader
• N.J. tells nuclear plant to build cooling tower
• What is Tritium and Why is It in My Aquifer?

For more information on this campaign:

Peggi Sturmfels, Program Organizer, 732-280-898, psturmfels@cleanwater.org