Richard Pinney, Acting Supervisor

The Nuclear Engineering Section (NES) performs safety evaluations through inspections and safety reviews at all nuclear generating stations in New Jersey.  The Department has had an agreement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to participate in inspections at New Jersey's nuclear power plants. This 1987 agreement pre-dates the federal governments general agreements with all other states. As a result of the 1987 agreement the State of New Jersey can attend enforcement conference on request to the NRC.  The BNE has followed the "no significant hazard determination" through Public Law 415 (called the Sholly Amendments) since 1987.

The Nuclear Engineering Section also:

• Participates in Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspections at the nuclear power plants operating in New Jersey;
• Performs technical reviews of all nuclear power plant license changes;
• Performs technical reviews of nuclear power plant safety issues;
• Supports the development and implementation of the NJ Radiological Emergency Response Plan (RERP);
• Understands the operation of the nuclear power plants under normal, transient, and accident conditions;
• Assesses the operation of the nuclear power plants operating in New Jersey and identify concerns before they impact the environment or affect the State's ability to respond to a nuclear emergency;
• Assesses the effectiveness of the NRC nuclear power plant regulatory process from a state perspective;
• Inspects, monitors, assesses radioactive waste shipments and high level radioactive waste storage in New Jersey.