News

January 31, 2009

Public weighs in on nuke plants

Citizens give opinions about existing and proposed PPL plants at forum in Berwick.

BERWICK – From the public comments, the meeting held by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Berwick High School Thursday evening might have seemed like an analysis of PPL Corp.’s performance running its existing nuclear plant.

While the hearing was for comments on the environmental review of PPL’s proposed nuclear power plant, it quickly became an appraisal of the current reactors and the new plant’s potential to help the economy. “Everybody who’s sitting in this room from Berwick, you people are at the center of risk,” said Gene Stilp, a Wilkes-Barre native who advocates for taxpayers. “You’re here to be radiation sponges for the people in New York and New Jersey.”

But Dave Superdock, a long-time physics professor at Bloomsburg University, said his research showed that there was no difference before and after the existing plants were built.

“I support nuclear energy. I’ve studied it for 50 years,” he said.

The meeting came near the beginning of the NRC’s review of the environmental impact of building the plant.

A draft environmental impact statement will be finished in 2010. But there wasn’t too much on environmental issues that NRC could take away from the discussion.

Mary Creasy noted concern for terrorist attacks, saying, “The reality is this community would not be able to evacuate during an emergency event.”

Bill Soberick, a commissioner of nearby Columbia County, took issue with that, saying the county’s plans are effective.

Dave Creasy said nearly 1.5 million gallons of radioactive waste found its way into the Susquehanna River through the plant’s cooling water system, and voiced concern about the environmental impacts of uranium-ore mining.

“We all know this is a beautiful area, but to sacrifice it for a few more megawatts or a few more days of air conditioning, I don’t think it’s worth it,” he said.

Nuangola resident Bruce Spencer said the air pollution from the nuclear plant appeared to be far less than from coal plants.

From directors of local industry groups to nonprofit representatives, the discussion ranged from PPL employee’s volunteerism and safety ethic to the nation’s lack of a spent-fuel repository.

For Ken Fatula, the problem was basically out of the NRC’s or the industry’s control entirely.

“The problem is we have politicians who are more concerned with getting votes from environmentalists and that lobby than doing what is right,” he said.

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