Vin Gopal falsely blames Jack Ciattarelli for New Jersey nuclear plant shutdown
TRENTON, NJ – State Assemblyman Vin Gopal ignited a political flare-up this week after claiming Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli helped shut down nuclear power in New Jersey—specifically the Oyster Creek plant. But records and industry reports show the closure stemmed largely from economic and regulatory pressures under Democratic leadership.
Gopal’s misinformation is a desperate last-minute pivot for Democrats. Gopal, a posterchild for the eight years of Governor Phil Murphy’s reign of energy terror was complicit in the events leading to New Jersey’s current energy crisis.
Gopal Misinformation on Nuclear energy shutdowns
Today, he’s pretending it was all because of Republicans. He forgot one thing, Democrat Mikie Sherrill has been blaming PJM. Now, he’s admitting it’s not PJM by trying to shift blame away from his own party, whose failed Green New Deal policies are crushing New Jerseyans each month.
In a social media post, Gopal asserted that “nuclear plants shutdown under Chris Christie with Jack in the legislature,” accusing Ciattarelli of spreading misinformation.
However, the facts tell a more complex story. The Oyster Creek Generating Station in Lacey Township closed in 2018, not by legislative vote, but as the result of an agreement between the plant’s owner, Exelon, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
2010 Agreement Created During Corzine Adminstration
That 2010 agreement—negotiated while Democrats controlled the Legislature—required the plant to retire by 2019 after regulators ordered the construction of costly cooling towers to reduce thermal pollution in Barnegat Bay.
Chris Christie was sworn into office in early 2010. The wheels on this bus had been going round and round for years under former Democrat Governor Jon Corzine.
Economic and environmental pressures drove closure
Industry analysts point to financial strain and political action, as the primary causes of the shutdown. Rising maintenance costs, low electricity prices, and growing competition from natural gas and renewable energy all undercut the plant’s profitability.
Exelon ultimately decided it could not justify the estimated $800 million expense to build the required cooling towers Democrats were forcing them to build.
The company determined those upgrades, combined with declining revenue, made continued operation unsustainable.
Democrats’ environmental mandates raised costs
The environmental standards imposed by the NJDEP reflected long-standing Democratic policy priorities to reduce waterway pollution and promote renewable energy. While those rules aimed to protect ecosystems, they also imposed financial burdens on aging nuclear facilities like Oyster Creek.
Ciattarelli, who served in the Assembly at the time, had no direct role in the closure negotiations and was not part of the 2010 state-executive agreement that sealed the plant’s fate.
An extensive search found that Ciattarelli had absolutely no involvement in the process, which Democrats spearheaded under Governor Jon Corzine.
Political blame game heats up in energy debate
Gopal’s comments come as Democrats rally around congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill’s plan to “take on utility companies,” linking energy issues to broader campaign messaging on corporate accountability. Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Democrats of rewriting history to deflect from the state’s long-term energy challenges.
