LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ 一 U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin today joined Lacey Township officials and Congressman Tom MacArthur to denounce inaction by the U.S. Senate on the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2018, which would end the storage of nuclear waste in New Jersey communities and 38 other states. The Act, co-sponsored by Congressman MacArthur, was approved overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives on May 10th by a vote of 340 to 72 with every member of the New Jersey delegation supporting the legislation except for Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who did not vote. It has not been acted on in the U.S. Senate.

“For 30 years, this problem has remained unresolved and it’s time to finally get the job done. Thanks to Congressman MacArthur’s leadership, the House overwhelmingly passed this legislation in a bipartisan fashion and it’s time for the Senate to follow suit. When you include the nuclear waste being stored at the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations in Salem County, New Jersey has three locations where this potentially hazardous nuclear waste is being stored,” said Bob Hugin.

“This is an important issue and it’s unacceptable that the Senate has continued to delay action on this legislation,” said Congressman Tom MacArthur. “New Jersey needs more effective leadership in the Senate so that important issues like this one are addressed. Come January, I look forward to working with Bob Hugin to fight for South Jersey and all the residents of our state.”

“It’s encouraging to have leaders like Bob Hugin speaking out about this important issue, which our elected officials in the Senate have failed to address,” said Mayor Nicholas Juliano. “For too long, South Jersey hasn’t had a voice in the U.S. Senate. I’m confident that Bob Hugin will be that voice and work with elected officials like Congressman Tom MacArthur to represent our communities.”

The Act amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the federal Department of Energy to consolidate and temporarily store waste from nuclear electrical generating plants until it develops a permanent nuclear waste repository in the Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The legislation also would compensate communities that  have been storing the nuclear waste, such as Lacey Township, where spent fuel from the now-defunct Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Facility is currently stored on the plant property.

Oyster Creek officially closed last month after 49 years of operation, but workers will spend several years decommissioning the plant, including taking steps to safely contain waste and unused nuclear materials on the property. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the containers of waste, along with more than 30 containers of spent fuel already stored on the property, will remain there indefinitely until federal authorities develop a national waste-storage program.