First State residents gave their input Thursday on the proposed expansion of a nuclear plant along the Delaware River.
PSEG Nuclear wants to add a fourth reactor to the Salem-Hope Creek plant in New Jersey. The company applied for an early site permit, which hasn’t officially been approved yet by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. But the NRC has given a recommendation to issue it.
The environmental impact statement presented at the public hearing in Middletown Thursday says the reactor could produce small to moderate damage to the environment.
Some who attended the hearing, such as Mike De Luca, a marine scientist at Rutgers University, voiced confidence in PSEG’s ability to mitigate environmental impacts, such as sea level rise.
“No one disputes that there will be impacts, but I believe that the company has the capacity and the expertise to deal very effectively with these,” said De Luca.
Environmentalists voiced concern about nuclear reactor’s location, which the impact statement says could affect 229 acres of wetlands. Stephanie Herron, outreach coordinator for the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club, says she specifically worries about issues sea level rise could create with a new reactor at the site.
“Salem 1 and 2 and Hope Creek are already built on an artificial island on the Delaware River, which is already low-lying. So as we continue to fill the wetlands, I’m concerned about the impact it will have on local flooding," said Herron. "And obviously I’m very concerned about the actual flooding of a nuclear power plant particularly one that’s storing tons of toxic nuclear waste.”
Green Party congressional candidate Bernie August also voiced concerns about the project's impact.
“This is way too risky and too stupid. We’ll just take away money from renewable energy that’s been proven to work, that don’t require evacuation zones," said August. "We know what happens when a power plant goes down.”
Deadline for public comment is November 6. A final environmental impact statement will be published in September 2015. The project still faces other licensing hurdles before gaining final approval for construction