Members of the Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch group gathered Saturday to protest the re-licensing of the Oyster Creek Power Plant in Lacey.

According to Edith Gbur, the president of the group, Oyster Creek is a threat to the surrounding neighborhood. Gbur says the 39-year-old plant, which is the oldest nuclear power plant in New Jersey, threatens local residents? health and safety. The operating license for Oyster Creek is set to expire April 9 unless reinstated.

"It blows my mind that it's still active,? Gbur says. ?And it blows my mind that they're still considering extending the license."

Members of the nuclear watch group say there are detected levels of radiation emitted from the plant daily. Joseph Mangano, a researcher who had studied the area surrounding Oyster Creek for years, believes the radiation is to blame for high instances of cancers, especially childhood and thyroid cancers, in the community.

Some proponents of the re-licensing argue the plant is a mainstay of the neighborhood?s economy and insist it operates safely. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled to begin deliberating the license once it runs out. According to an NRC spokesman, Oyster Creek can keep operating past April 9 if the license renewal application is still being reviewed.