The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced a second public meeting would be held to discuss oversight of the Oyster Creek Generating Station on Wednesday, June 6 in Toms River.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Route 37 East and will include an answer and question session, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said.
“We received several requests asking us to conduct a more traditional public meeting on Oyster Creek,” Sheehan said. “This meeting is in response to those requests.”
The June meeting comes just two months after an That forum took the form of a meet-and-greet with tables lined up and NRC representatives that citizens could approach with comments, concerns or questions.
Peter Weeks, a member of Save Barnegat Bay, described the first meeting as a “dog and pony show.” Many environmentalists were discontent with the form of meeting and requested the NRC hold a public hearing that would allow for discussion.
“We have no plans for formal presentation at the June 6 meeting but instead will be ready to field comments and answer questions regarding our oversight of the plant,” Sheehan said.
Earlier this spring, the NRC released an annual assessment that reported Oyster Creek operated safely in 2011. At the conclusion of the last year, there were no performance indicators or inspection findings that were greater than green, which signifies very low safety significance.
The assessment noted nine findings of low significance, many of which were the result of human performance or error. Each of the findings was ranked “green” by the NRC, which means it was “more than minor.” were marked "human performance" while the others dealt with failure to follow protocols.
The annual assessment for Oyster Creek, which contains more details regarding each finding and how Exelon addressed the issues, is available on the Current performance information for the plant can also be found on the NRC website.
Oyster Creek, the site of a single boiling-water reactor, is the oldest operating nuclear plant in the United States. The plant is owned by Exelon Corporation, which is one of the largest electric utilities distributing electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers and natural gas to approximately 486,000 customers.
