Priority Of NRC And PSEG Meeting Regarding Salem And Hope Creek Should Be Safety, Delegation Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the news that managers from the Public Service Electric and Gas (PSEG), which operates the Salem and Hope Creek Power Plants, will meet with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on December 2, 2004, Senators Joe Biden and Tom Carper and Congressman Mike Castle today urged both sides to make safety the number one priority of that meeting: “While we are pleased PSEG and NRC are going to sit down and meet in public to hash through a number of outstanding issues at the nuclear plants at Salem and Hope Creek, we urge them to make safety the priority issue. In our opinion, all safety issues must be addressed before the plant is reopened. This forum will provide an opportunity for an honest exchange regarding the repair of the steam leak and the reactor cooling water pump as well as any ongoing maintenance issues. We are hopeful it will help resolve some of these critical issues and we encourage residents in the surrounding areas to attend and actively engage in discussions surrounding these safety concerns.”