LACEY — Their blueprints may be similar, but New Jersey’s Oyster Creek nuclear power plant can withstand a disaster better than Japan’s troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant due to safety upgrades built in over the years, state officials and energy industry executives told lawmakers today. Three Assembly committees jointly heard testimony from the state’s top environmental officer, the state director...
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Aerial photo of Oyster Creek Generating Station in Lacey Township.LACEY — Their blueprints may be similar, but New Jersey’s Oyster Creek nuclear power plant can withstand a disaster better than Japan’s troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant due to safety upgrades built in over the years, state officials and energy industry executives told lawmakers today.
Three Assembly committees jointly heard testimony from the state’s top environmental officer, the state director of Homeland Security, and nuclear plant executives from Exelon and PSE&G, who said a disaster like the one besetting Japan is unlikely to strike any of New Jersey’s four nuclear plants.
"I think the public does not have to concern itself that what happened in Japan could happen in New Jersey," said Charles McKenna, state director of Homeland Security.
Officials said President Obama has ordered comprehensive reviews of all nuclear facilies, in addition to the regular evaluations plants must undergo by law. Oyster Creek in Lacey Township was found to be safe by the federal government at its last review in October 2009, and Hope Creek in Lower Alloways Creek Township will be inspected on May 22, McKenna said.
PSE&G implemented "over 100 procedures" after 9/11 to ensure its plants could still run safely in the event of a disaster such as a plane crash, said Bill Levis, president of PSE&G Power. He said the company is also looking at what to do in the event of two disasters striking at the same time. Experts say the Fukushima reactors withstood the 9.0-magnitude earthquake but not the tsunami that followed.
DEP Commissioner Bob Martin disclosed that milk and water samples taken in New Jersey showed no signs of radiation stemming from the Japanese disaster. Air and rainwater samples were also found to be safe, though they contained trace amounts of radiation "far below" the level of concern.
The panelists said New Jersey reactors similar to the ones in Japan have received safety enhancements, such as water-tight doors, improved ventilation systems, longer battery capacity to keep the reactors’ cooling systems running during a power outage, and strengthened infrastructure.
But environmentalists said those upgrades were done decades ago, and many safety issues still gave cause for concern.
"I think (the hearing) was designed to say, ‘Everything’s fine, we’re doing all these things,’ when they haven’t learned anything about what happened in Japan or Chernobyl," said Jeff Tittel, New Jersey director for the Sierra Club. "It’s all about public relations rather than public policy."
He said Oyster Creek, the nation’s oldest nuclear reactor, had corrosion problems and radioactive leaks recently because of its age.
Tittel also criticized the lack of independent analysts at the hearing, which heard testimony only from state officials and industry representatives. Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset), one of three lawmakers chairing the hearing, said: "This was more of a briefing rather than a hearing; we can always bring independent professors at a later date."
Martin said a nuclear review task force created by Gov. Chris Christie met for the first time last week. It will analyze emergency communications and power supply, and evaluate the minimum evacuation radius of 10 miles from a nuclear incident. The panelists said that may increase to up to 50 miles.