Environmentalists call for cooling towers at Oyster Creek

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would require a new cooling system at the Oyster Creek nuclear generating station.

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would require a new cooling system at the Oyster Creek nuclear generating station.

Listen:
[audio: 091214pgcool.mp3]

Environmentalists want cooling towers installed at the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant.

Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, says the current system of discharging water from the facility into Barnegat Bay is harmful.

Dillingham: The heated water not only renders a large area of the bay unconducive to marine life, it contributes to the growth of unhealthy algae blooms that contribute to dissolved oxygen levels being low in the bay and making it difficult for aquatic life to survive.”

Representatives of plant owner Exelon say cooling towers would cost more than $700 million, a cost they say would prompt them to examine whether it would be economical to keep the plant operating or force them to shut it down.