Christie Unveils Barnegat Bay Cleanup Plan

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today unveiled a comprehensive plan of action to address the short and long term ecological health of Barnegat Bay and deal with the cooling system at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant which has threatened the surrounding fish population. This plan fulfills the Governor’s pledge to deal with one of his top environmental priorities and puts into action a ten point plan to clean up the Bay. Furthermore, the plan resolves the need for a massive cooling system at Oyster Creek Generating Station by closing the nuclear power plant within nine years.
“Barnegat Bay is one of my top environmental priorities,’’ said Governor Christie. “After years of inaction and the Bay’s declining ecological health, we finally have a comprehensive plan that will prevent further degradation of the Bay and begin the restoration of this incredible New Jersey resource. The changes won’t happen overnight, but the long-term environmental future of Barnegat Bay is now much stronger.’’ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin explained that a large and diverse community of Bay advocates, including scientists, environmentalists, elected officials, recreational fishermen and area residents, worked independently and together with the DEP for the past year to pinpoint specific causes of the deterioration of Barnegat Bay and to find ways to address those problems.
“The goal is to restore, protect and enhance Barnegat Bay, which has been suffering,’’ said Commissioner Martin. “We are dealing with problems that have been long in the making, so we have sought solid, long-term solutions that will restore the environmental health of this tremendous resource.’’
"The Christie Administration’s guaranteed early shut down of the nuclear plant in 9 years is a win for the long-term health of Barnegat Bay, especially given the federal government and Exelon weren’t planning on closing down the plant for 19 years,” said New Jersey Environmental Federation’s David Pringle. “The Christie Administration’s leadership here with its increased emphasis on regulatory oversight provides a model that should be replicated at all nuclear plants, whatever their age.”
Closure of the Oyster Creek plant, which is the oldest operating nuclear generating facility in the nation, will occur no later than December 31, 2019, according to an ironclad agreement signed today between the state and Exelon Corp, which owns and operates the plant.
Exelon officials have pledged to work closely with state, county and local governments to ensure an environmentally safe shutdown of the facility, which currently draws significant amounts of water from the Bay for cooling and then discharges huge volumes of heated water back into the Bay. An outside safety review panel will review plant operations, issue safety reports, and hold annual public hearings.