Vermont Yankee is scheduled to close in March of 2012. It is one of the oldest reactors in the country but its owners, Entergy Corporation, want to run it for 20 years past its expiration date. Poor management and old age have lead to a string of accidents and safety concerns.
Entergy has refused to add money to the reactor’s clean-up fund, potentially leaving Vermonters with most of a $1 billion dollar clean-up bill in addition to the nuclear waste that is being stored on the banks of the Connecticut River.
VPIRG is working to hold the reactor’s corporate owners accountable for the clean-up of the contaminated site and for the safe and timely closure of Vermont Yankee in 2012.
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Breaking: Feds won’t interfere in VY’s retirement
On Wednesday July 14th VPIRG Clean Energy Program Director James Moore met with the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the NRC - the arm of the federal government that regulates nuclear plants) and a number of our allies in the campaign to retire Vermont Yankee, and got some great news.
Chairman Gregory Jaczko said, in essence, that the NRC won’t be interfering with the Vermont legislature’s...
SPOTLIGHT
Vermonters send a clear message: Retire VT Yankee
Fifteen towns voted on town meeting to close Vermont Yankee as scheduled. That combined with the 36 towns that voted in 2009, a total of 51 towns, have spoken -- they want Vermont Yankee to close as scheduled.
The public sentiment expressed by the town meeting votes this year and last show overwhelming opposition to continued operation of Vermont Yankee after 2012 and very strong support for requiring Entergy to fully fund the cleanup and for safe, clean and renewable sources of electricity.
