Oyster Creek May Not Close In 2019 [POLL]

Oyster Creek's 2019 closure may not be as ironclad as you think.

A US District Court reviewing the Vermont Yankee closure agreement has ruled that federal nuclear regulations override agreements reached on the state level.

Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel contends that it could negate New Jersey's agreement with Exelon to close Oyster Creek in 2019 and extend it to 2030.

Entergy had acquired a 20-year license renewal for the Vermont Yankee plant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Vermont's state legislature voted to close it and withheld state approvals for continued operation. The matter seemed settled in 2008. Then Entergy took it to court on the grounds that the decisions were in the domain of the NRC, and judges agreed.

Exelon spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio responds that a ruling in the Vermont Yankee case does not necessarily translate to the Oyster Creek situation. She says that the company will stand by its commitment to cease operations at the Lacey Township plant in 2019.