The plant recently acquired a twenty-year extension on an operating license. That is when environmentalists reared up and complained. A number of alarmist organizations, one of which is the NJEF (New Jersey Environmental Federation), New Jersey Sierra Club, Public Interest Research Group, Nuclear Information Resource Service and the Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety (GRAMMES) all appealed that decision, bringing it up to federal court systems.

Richard Webster, an attorney for the coalition, who is from the Eastern Environmental Law Center, says the suit concerns a problem of little information regarding safety operations of the plant. Webster says this claim is false. The plant provided a report - 462 pages- of a licensing application plus a 59-page report regarding environmental impact. He said both reports detailed extensively safety protocols and environmental protection measures that would be taken.

The environmentalists main complaints are centered around two main topics. Firstly, the topic of Barnegat Bay. That plant dumps cooling water in the bay. It has little impact, if any, raising temperatures two or three degrees maximum in a small area. Warming by solar conditions and currents create heat pockets without the intervention of humans after all.

Their next complaint is regarding radioactive waste to the tune of 650 tons, which resides in a pond near the plant. While the lobbyists try to scare the public, the carefully constructed area is made up of concrete and is not a public threat.

First of all, this is lower-grade radioactive waste and second, it's been scrupulously maintained. Also, it's important to remember these are some of the lobbies which blocked applications for new plants which can remove, then reprocess the waste.

He continued, if they want to protest about something, they should protest the Environmental Federation, the Sierra Club, and other alarmists. These people are damaging the community, the nation and our environment. Also take into consideration the legal expense they cost power companies, which raises the costs of energy in New Jersey. Let us hope that this sees the way quickly through our Justice System, so that people - the government included, begin facing up against this type of behavior.