Ocean View

TOMS RIVER - If you hold it, they won't come.

Gail M. Saxer spent the better part of five months organizing the Ocean County League ofWomen Voters guest list for latest "community dialogue" on the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station.

"I started to work on this in October of 2007 and I ended it tonight," Saxer told a standing-room-only crowd at the Ocean County Library on Feb. 20.

The event featured four speakers - including actor Alec Baldwin, a longtime foe of nuclear energy; Joseph J. Mangano, executive director of the New York-based Radiation and Public Health Project; Donald B. Louria, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Medical School; and Richard Webster, a staff attorney for the Eastern Environmental Law Center.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Saxer said during her opening remarks, as she took in every filled seat and audience members who lined the walls in the library'sMancini room.

"Of course, we all know who to thank for that," she said, smiling and turning to Baldwin.

The list of speakers - all opponents of the relicensing of the Oyster CreekNuclear Generating Station- may have looked unfairly tilted in the favor of the anti-nuclear groups at first glance.

But none of the 11 organizations with a pro-relicensing bent - including Exelon, the plant's owner - bothered to accept Saxer's invitation to sit on the dais.And the light snow that powdered Toms River that evening was not a good enough excuse to stay away.

"We went out of our way to invite both sides of this issue," she said. "Of the 11 organizations, not one of themhad a staff person available."

The no-shows included the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Exelon and the state Department of Environmental Protection.

This time, Saxer didn't invite all five members of the Ocean County Board of Freeholders, as she had done many times in the past. The highest ranking officials in the county have been perpetual absentees when it comes to Oyster Creek meetings. They seem to have time to protest safe topics, like Gov. Jon Corzine's controversial toll hike plan. But mention Oyster Creek and they all hide behind the NRC.

"I really didn't expect them to come," Saxer said after themeeting. "They haven't come to any of the meetings."

The topic that night was Oyster Creek, the oldest nuclear plant in the United States. It sits just 10 miles down Route 9 South in Lacey Township. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is coming perilously close to giving the nearly 40- year-old plant another 20 years to live.

Baldwin led off first. He wasted no time in getting down to business.

"I'mhere because I want people to know the truth about this power plant," he thundered. "We think this plant is poorly managed. The NRC is in the pocket of the nuclear industry. They don't care about the public's health and safety."

Things are different in this post-9/11 world, Baldwin said.

"A nuclear power plant is a nice juicy target," he said. "If you were a terrorist, what would you do? Bomb 2,000 gas stations? You're going to go for broke and attack a couple of nuclear power plants."

Baldwin also attacked what he called the "myth" of clean nuclear power.

"Do me a favor," he said. "Raise your hands if you think nuclear power is clean energy"

Six people in the crowd raised their hands.

Ocean County residents should let Corzine know they want a closed cooling tower system be installed, instead of the current systemthat uses 1.4 billion gallons of water from the Barnegat Bay daily, he said.

"Don't let Corzine off the hook, he said. "This is a non-brainer."

Webster, who represents a coalition of citizen groups against Oyster Creek's relicensing, agreed.

"The NRC is letting the people who run these nuclear plants write the regulations," Webster said. "They are not putting your safety and security of the nation first."

Ocean County residents should demand that Corzine and the DEP enforce the federal Clean Water Act by mandating the cooling towers, instead of the currently "antiquated" system, Webster said.

"Ask yourself why they don't install cooling towers," he said. "I'll tell you why. Money."

At one point, half of the lights went out, apparently after an audience member inadvertently leaned against the dimmer switch. That gave Edward Stroup, a former longtime Oyster Creek employee and now a union representative, a perfect segue into his shtick.

"I know it is a safe, clean plant and should be relicensed," he said.

Stroup said the dimming lights could be an indication of what the future could hold.

Mangano said there were nine nuclear power plants in New England in the 1990s and now there are five. Four have been closed permanently. He chided Stroup for using "fear tactics."

"Despite that, the lights were not out," he said. "Now New England is doing just fine with five nuclear reactors."

Although the event was billed as a "community dialogue," the exchange between Jackson resident Gary Black and Baldwin during the public comment portion was anything but.

Black said it was a "flat-out lie" that Oyster Creek will not pose a hazard to Ocean County residents if it closes, because the spent fuel rods will still be stored there.

"It will still be a terrorist attack target," he said. "Open or closed."

"You're there as an actor," Black shouted at Baldwin. "Don't talk to people in my county like that."

"I think what we are seeing is a result of exposure to radiation," Baldwin shot back.

Saxer tried to restore some calm.

"This is the League of Women Voters and we don't act like that," she said. "Would you please try and contain yourself. I expect you to treat them as guests."

Saxer said after themeeting some of the questioners were "boisterous."

"I understand many of them were connected with the Oyster Creek Nuclear plant,NJACRE, the lobbying firmhired by Exelon and the Nuclear Energy Institute," she said. "Since all of these organizations were invited to participate and declined, it was a disappointment that they chose to get their message across in this manner."