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The coating on a corroded radiation barrier at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey should be fully inspected for failures during a fall 2010 refueling outage, according to a state official. Advertisement "It remains in the best interests of the residents of New Jersey that a robust and effective drywell inspection and water intrusion prevention program is implemented and maintained at Oyster Creek," according to a Feb. 6 letter from Jill Lipoti of the state Department of Environmental Protection to an Exelon Generation staffer. The corroded steel drywell envelopes Oyster Creek's nuclear reactor vessel. It is designed to prevent a radioactive release during an accident, protecting the public, and has an epoxy coating.

State inspectors were concerned that an early report last year on a corroded steel radiation barrier at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey "withheld important and significant information from the public," according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission e-mail. Advertisement The e-mail said that state inspectors cited standing water in an area that was supposed to be dry and that there was no proof that the barrier was not rusting. State inspectors also expressed concern about the time it would take to issue a public inspection report, which was in effect a "gag order" on them, according to the Nov. 18 e-mail from John Richmond, an NRC inspector. The final report was issued Jan. 21. Opponents of the nuclear plant say the e-mail shows ongoing problems that are being hidden from the public.