TRENTON—Stop
the License Renewal of Oyster Creek (STROC), a coalition of six
citizen, consumer and environmental groups joined Representatives James
Saxton (R-NJ, Smith (R-NJ), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), and Rush Holt (D-NJ) to
demand a probe into the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) failure
to ensure Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant’s safety.
Rep.
Saxton sent a letter signed by his colleagues today to the NRC,
criticizing them for failing to enforce Exelon’s commitment to monitor
water running along the dry well liner, which could corrode the liner
that houses the nuclear reactor.
“When
deciding whether a vital safety structure has been allowed to corrode
beyond its safety margins because of violations of the operating
license which the NRC failed to notice for eight years, redundancy
becomes a necessity,” read the letter to the NRC from Representatives
Saxton and Smith.
At
a hearing on September 13th, the NRC admitted that Exelon failed to
meet this commitment and disposed of the water without testing it for
contamination. If the dry well liner were to corrode enough, it could
cause a nuclear accident threatening over a million people. Despite
this information, the NRC’s September 21st inspection report notes
their failure to monitor water runoff, but does not take enforcement
action against Exelon.
“We
cannot rely on Exelon to tell us the truth about Oyster Creek or follow
commitments key to its safety,” said Adam Garber, Consumer Advocate for
New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG). “Without that
assurance, we are letting Exelon and the NRC roll the dice with Oyster
Creek, and it will be New Jersey residents who have to pay the debt.”
In
response to the NRC’s oversight failure, Representatives Saxton and
Smith are calling on the NRC to let the Advisory Committee on Reactor
Safety (ACRS) review the current evidence on the dry well liner and
determine if the plant is within safety margins.
"NRC's
offering of endless last chances to the Oyster Creek for repeated
violations is a dangerous dodge of its regulatory responsibility," said
Paul Gunter of Nuclear Information and Resource Service. "In this
instance, NRC translates as 'No Regulatory Control' over matters of
vital public safety," Gunter concluded.
Although
NRC inspectors relied only on visual inspection of an epoxy coating
meant to stop corrosion in 1992, the Coalition’s expert Dr. Rudolf
Hausler has stated that visual inspection alone is inadequate and could
leave ongoing corrosion undetected. Instead of relying on the epoxy
coating which is past its supposed 10-year life span, the letter
questions why the NRC failed to use other methods to monitor the dry
well. This includes periodic ultrasonic testing of the entire liner.
“Although
the NRC attempted to downplay the incidents, the plant’s safety depends
on an epoxy coating that is beyond its designated life,” said Richard
Webster of Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic. “These incidents threaten
the safety of the plant, and the plant must be closed immediately for
comprehensive testing of the containment vessel.”
The
NRC and Exelon’s failure to act on possible corrosion on the dry well
liner is symptomatic of larger problems, according to the Coalition.
Throughout Oyster Creek’s relicensing process, attempts to gather
information about Oyster Creek’s safety have repeatedly been refused or
forced through a confusing maze. In response to this, the letter from
Representative Saxton’s office, asks for the NRC to explain in writing
why it is unconcerned about corrosion of the dry well liner.
"Over the last three years, the citizens have asked the NRC time and
time again for assurances about the safety and security of the
continued operation of Oyster Creek. Time and time again, we have been
shuffled, patronized or admonished and sent on our way,” said Peggi
Sturmfel, Program Coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental
Federation. “If a federal agency won't respond to the people they are
supposed to protect, maybe they will answer to the people who watch
over them."
“The
NRC keeps proving time and time again that its initials actually stand
for Not a Regulatory Commission. They are nothing but a rubber stamp
for the industry no matter how it impacts public safety or the
environment,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of NJ Sierra Club.
Due
to the NRC and Exelon’s failure to ensure the plant’s safety, the
Coalition is calling for immediate action by Governor Corzine and New
Jersey’s Congressional delegation to ensure that the plant is not
allowed to operate when its safety is in serious doubt. In addition,
the incident should be investigated by the New Jersey Attorney General,
and the United States Attorney.
STROC is a
coalition of safe energy advocates that has filed a legal contention
before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of NRC. This contention
challenges the adequacy 20-year license renewal application because it
fails to provide proof that corrosion of the drywell liner is being
managed safely. The contention filed by six groups requests that the
license require ultrasonic test measurements be taken at all levels of
the dry well liner at regular intervals for the life of the plant.
STROC members include Grandmothers Mothers & More For Energy Safety
(GRAMMES), Jersey Shore Nuclear
Watch Inc, New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), New Jersey Public Interest
Research Group (NJPIRG), New Jersey Sierra Club, Nuclear Information and
Resource Service (NIRS).
