After a long, drawn-out back-and-forth battle with Vermont Yankee nuclear plant owner Entergy, the Vermont State Senate voted Feb. 24 not to extend the facility’s license to operate beyond March of 2012. The 26 to 4 vote marks the first action of its kind in approximately 30 years and is being closely watched by the proprietors of nuclear power plants around the nation as a possible bellwether for the future of the industry, in spite of a recent Obama administration announcement that it will commit some $8 billion to try to promote nuclear power as a viable “transitional tool” as the country struggles to convert to cleaner, greener energy sources.
Vermont Yankee has suffered what some have called “the perfect storm” of bad PR in the last few years—as state legislative committees were examining whether or not to grant Entergy its license extension—including an August, 2007 cooling tower collapse and 2009-2010 revelations of tritium leakage and false testimony under oath about the existence of tritium-carrying pipes at the plant. Though the state Senate’s vote does not definitively sign Vermont Yankee’s death warrant, its options for continued existence have been fast disappearing, leaving Entergy mulling the possibility of assembling a lawsuit most experts agree would be unlikely to succeed considering the recent dramatic, highly public events and the contractual agreements with the state, signed by Entergy representatives, that give the state legislature the power to approve or deny license extension.
In celebration of the recent vote, an event has been planned for Saturday, March 13, from 6-10 p.m. at the Stone Church on the corner of Grove and Main streets in Brattleboro. Sponsored by the Safe and Green Campaign, Citizens Awareness Network and Nuclear Free Vermont by 2012, the celebration will include food, beverages, music and dancing. In addition to the other festivities, VCAN will announce the winner of its solar panel raffle. For more information on the event, please call (802) 377-7403 or visit www.safeandgreencampaign.org.
