Local Officials Support Establishment of Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Council

The Lacey Township Committee is joining with other governmental entities to establish a New Jersey Coordinating Council on the Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Generating Facilities.

The Ocean County Board of Freeholders and the township committees of Lacey and Ocean have adopted resolutions to establish the 11-member council. Barnegat will consider a resolution at its next council meeting.

The legislation (S-866/A-296) was introduced by Sen. Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove.

“We are deeply grateful for the support from the Ocean County Freeholder Board, as well as the governing bodies of Lacey, Ocean and Barnegat townships.  This legislation was introduced more than five years ago with the understanding that one day the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, the oldest facility of its kind in the country, would cease operations,” Connors said.

Connors asked Gov. Chris Christie for his support in their legislation following the announcement that Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station would shut down in 2019, 20 years earlier than anticipated.

“Since Oyster Creek will not operate throughout the entire time period allowed under the most recent license renewal permit, it is essential that we examine and prepare for the broad, complex and very serious issues associated with the decommissioning of a nuclear facility,” Connors said.

The Decommissioning Council would coordinate and review the development and implementation of plans for the decommissioning of nuclear plants to ensure that they comply with federal and state laws and policies.

According to a press release from Connors, the council would review plans, studies and schedules related to the useful life of each facility; the physical decommissioning of a facility; the estimated costs of decommissioning and the financial plan for funding those costs; any environmental impacts of a decommissioning; the storage, transportation and disposal of radioactive materials or wastes from the facility; the safety and security measures to be taken during the decommissioning; the sources and costs of replacement power required to meet the service area demands associated with the decommissioning or any other matter affecting public health, safety and welfare.

“Most importantly, we are concerned with preventing or mitigating any negative economic or environmental impact on those communities that would be most drastically impacted by the decommissioning of a nuclear facility.  The council would provide for a continuous dialogue and flow of information, while also serving as a forum to assert the public interest, including at the local level,” Connors said.

Mayor Gary Quinn of Lacey Township and the committee along with local officials of Ocean and Barnegat townships have been pushing to get a council established for those reasons.

“We all had the benefits of the power plant for the time it’s been here and we all knew someday it was going to certainly come to this. …We want to put something as soon as possible so if this plant does shut down in 2019 or sooner, this is the process that we’re going to be following,” Quinn said.

It is vital for the decommissioning council to be established as soon as possible so they could determine the future of the site and deter any negative economic impacts, Quinn said.

“We want to know what the future is going to be with the plant itself,” Quinn said. “The council is something that will be in place to start to give us the answers that we haven’t been able to get up to this point.”

Oyster Creek accounts for approximately 40 percent of Lacey Township’s budget in energy credits and employs nearly 700 workers.

“Sen. Connors has been a very good ally to us,” Quinn said. “I’m glad he’s taking a lead on this because as a township we can demand and request things but without the support of our legislatures a lot of times we can’t accomplish what we would like to accomplish."

"Officials from Lacey Township, Ocean Township, and Barnegat have been encouraging the state to declare the area as an 'energy enterprise zone,' ” bringing in other sources of energy, Mayor of Ocean Joe Lachawiec said.

The legislation will be posted in the Senate Environment and Energy Committee in May but Connors is anticipating amendments will be proposed, he said.

“While we certainly welcome any input, our delegation will not consider any amendment that would diminish the ability of the council to represent the public’s interest during the decommissioning process,” Connors said.

If the council is established, the state will appoint representatives. Quinn expects Lacey, Ocean, and Barnegat to have a presence on the council.

“It’s in everybody’s best interest to do something in this area of Ocean County that is going to generate more power. I think we could work very well together trying to accomplish what we’re setting out to,” Quinn said.