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1996 Annual
Report:
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1996
Accomplishments
The
Siting Board continued its two-track approach, using the voluntary
siting process to locate a suitable site in a willing community
while at the same time moving ahead to develop the plans for
site characterization and facility design that will be needed
wherever the disposal facility is located.
SITING
-
Public
discussions were held in a half-dozen municipalities which
explored the possibility of hosting New Jersey's disposal
facility for low-level radioactive waste. Although the prospect
of hosting the disposal facility raises controversy wherever
it is discussed, some officials and residents in each of
these six towns believe that the facility could be a safe
and beneficial light industrial development for their area.
The discussions ended in four of the twons - Springfield
(Burlington County), Lower (Cape May), Fairfield and Commercial
(Cumberland) - with votes by the governing body. In two
other towns - Pennsville (Salem County) and Bethlehem (Hunterdon)
- the Board determined that no suitable sites seemed to
be available.
-
Two
forums for local officials, underwritten by the Fund for
New Jersey and the SIting Board , were sponsored by the
New Jersey League of Women Voters' Education Fund, the New
Jersey State League of Municipalities, and Rutgers University.
One focused on the issues surrounding low-level radioactive
waste; the second addressed how a potentially interested
community can begin an open public discussion of the issues,
and provided attendees with tools to help ensure that all
voices and opinions are heard during this discussion.
-
Statewide
outreach continued, with talks, discussions, and presentations
at a variety of forums. The Board's display was exhibited
at major conferences, including those sponsored by the New
Jersey Conference of Mayors, the New Jersey State League
of Municipalities, and the Medical Society of New Jersey.
- The
Board began publishing a quarterly Update that is
sent to municipalities across the state. The Board also published
a series of informational brochures: If Your Town Has
Contaminated Land, Here's How You Might Turn an Eyesore Into
an Asset; Transporting Radioactive Materials in New Jersey;
and We Live in a Radioactive World.
SITE
- The
Siting Board completed and published the Preliminary Site
Investigation Program and The Site Characterization
Program, which describe the work that will be done to
evaluate the suitability of any potential disposal facility
site.
- The
Board completed and published the New Jersey Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal Plan 1996 Update, the first
update to the plan originally prepared in 1990. The update,
which is required by the Siting Act, describes how the waste
generated in New Jersey is managed and transported, and projects
waste volume and activity for the next 50 years.
- The
Board continued developing a Request For Proposals for a contractor
to design, build, operate and close New Jersey's disposal
facility. The Board distributed a Request For Infromation
to potential bidders that has helped refine the RFP.
- The
National Low-Level Waste Management Program prepared a report
for the Siting board on "Preliminary Cost estimates for
Managing Low-Level Radioactive Waste in the State of New Jersey."
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1997
Agenda
The
Siting Board expects to continue with the approach it has used
since adopting the Voluntary Siting Plan in February 1995. This
will include:
- Additional
outreach efforts around the state both to acquaint people
with New Jersey's need to find a safe, dependable, long-term
solution to this pressing problem, and to help more communities
evaluate whether hosting the disposal facility for low-level
radioactive waste could be beneficial for them.
- Assessing
generators of low-level radioactive waste for the first time
in four years to fund the costs associated with siting a disposal
facility in New Jersey.
- Continuing
focused work with municipalities in which interest is expressed
in considering volunteering to host the disposal facility.
- Refining
the voluntary siting process to ensure that it is as open
and responsive as possible to local concerns and processes.
- Considering
whether legislative amendments or new regulations may be desirable
to clarify and better facilitate the implementation of the
Voluntary Siting Plan.
- Issuing
a Request For Proposals for a contractor to design, build,
operate and close a disposal facility in New Jersey.
- Continuing
to work with other states and compacts to explore any possibilities
for long-term out-of-state disposal. At present, however,
there are no such possibilities on the horizon.
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1997
Public Meetings of the Siting Board
For
1997, the Siting Board has scheduled meetings usually on the
first Thursday of each month in the 10th floor conference room,
44 S. Clinton Avenue, Trenton, located one half-block from the
train station and adjacent to a public parking garage. Meetings
commence at 9:30 AM and generally conclude between noon and
1:00 PM.
These
meetings are open to the public:
- January
9
- February
6
- March
6
- April
10
- May
1
- June
5
- July
10
- August
7
- September
4
- October
9
- November
6
- December
4
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Financial
Summary for Fiscal Year 1996
(July 1, 1995 - June 30, 1996)
TOTAL
EXPENDITURES $ 1,397,994
Siting
Board Operations $ 630,335
- Staff
[Salaries and Fringe] $ 503,359
- Office
Administration & Equipment $ 55,089
- Exhibits
& Conferences $ 6,282
- Public
Outreach $ 65,605
Professional
Services from State Departments $ 344,337
- Department
of Environmental Protection $ 189,083
- New
Jersey Network $ 35,954
- Office
of the Attorney General $ 44,000
- Office
of Dispute Settlement $ 75,300
Other
Professional Services $ 292,172
- Center
for Public Interest Polling, Eagleton Institute of Politics,
Rutgers University $ 7,500
- Foster
Wheeler Environmental Corporation $ 274,172
- League
of Women Voters' Education Fund $ 10,500
Northeast
Compact Commission $ 131,150
ENCUMBRANCES
The
Siting Board receives all of its funding through fee assessments
on New Jersey generators of low-level radioactive waste. The
Board will assess fees for the first time in four years to provide
sufficient funds in FY'98 for site characterization - a comprehensive
and expensive analysis and evaluation of a potential site -
to begin as soon as a community and the Board agree that such
an undertaking is warranted.
As
noted above, the Board received professional services during
FY'96 from seven entities. Four - the Department of Environmental
Protection, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of
Dispute Settlement, and Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation
- provide assistance to the Board on an on-going basis. The
other three were hired for discrete projects: New Jersey Network
for the production of the Board's informational videotape; the
Center for Public Interest Polling at the Eagleton Institute
of Politics to conduct and analyze two focus groups during the
development of the voluntary siting process; and the League
of Women Voters' Education Fund to convene a statewide conference
in Jamesburg on low-level radioactive waste management.
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