VPIRG Urges Regulators Defend Judicial Process by Denying VT Yankee Continued Operation

Presidents have been impeached for lying.  Lying to the police is a crime.  Perjury in court is dealt with severely.     And established case law makes clear that applicants in regulatory proceeding who lie can (and should) have their requests denied.  The people’s government depends on truthfulness, and cannot operate otherwise.

Vermont's Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program

There is a new program available to help Vermonters invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for their homes and businesses. The Vermont Energy Act of 2009, which recently became law in Vermont, includes a provision that allows for the creation of Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, programs. This is a concept that has been successfully implemented in California, New York and Colorado, and is being considered in many other locations around the country.

Entergy’s Incompetence and Deceptions

The recent discovery of a radioactive leak at Vermont Yankee, and Yankee owner Entergy’s latest evasions about it, are the latest episode in a history of deception the Louisiana-based company has compiled over the years, representatives from two Vermont advocacy organizations said today.  Now, Vermonters can no longer trust Entergy to be honest about safety at the plant.

This is a timeline of Entergy's incompetence and deceptions regarding the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

Safer Alternatives to Deca

Alternatives to Deca are not only available, but are cost effective as well. According to reports written by the states of Illinois, Maine, and Minnesota, there are affordable alternatives to Deca for consumer electronics, residential upholstered furniture, and mattresses. In fact, many of these alternatives are already being used in the marketplace. For instance, Washington State estimates that roughly 57% of televisions and 95% of computer products do not contain Deca.

Vermont Yankee vs. a Clean Energy Future

Vermonters face a critical decision on our energy future: Vermont Yankee, the state’s sole nuclear power plant, is scheduled to close down on 2012. The Vermont Legislature is considering whether or not to grant a 20 year license extension to continue operation of the plant through 2032. Choices about our energy future that shape our energy supply for generations will be made in the next few months. Legislators will have to decide between Yankee and a clean energy future.

Relicensing Vermont Yankee: Deciding our energy future

Our legislators must decide whether to replace Vermont Yankee with clean, local alternatives. At stake are issues of safety, cost, reliability and the legacy we leave for our kids. But some elected leaders are being tempted to strike a deal with the plant’s owners that trades our long-term safety and economy for ‘cheap’ power.

Repower Vermont Retire Vermont Yankee

“A green, renewable energy economy isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, far-off future. IT IS NOW.” – President Barack Obama

• We can replace over 100% of the power VY makes nowwith local clean energy!

• 98% of Vermonters support increasing the amount of electricity we get fromrenewable energy

• Building our clean energy future will generate over 3,000 good paying jobs in Vermont

• Repowering Vermont with clean energy would cut our global warming pollution in half and eliminate the
production of radioactive waste.

Accidents and Breakdowns at Vermont Yankee

There have been many “minor” accidents at the Entergy Corporation’s “Vermont Yankee” 37-year-old nuclear reactor due to age, a 20% power increase beyond its original design capacity, and cost-cutting measures resulting in deferred maintenance. A partial list since September of 2004 includes:

Repower Vermont!

Responsibly cited wind turbines combined with electricity produced on our farms and from sustainably harvested wood will provide Vermonters with at least half of our electricity within the next ten years.

Vermont Yankee could be replaced immediately. Clean energy resources are being developed in Vermont and all of our neighboring states. In New England today, where Vermont Yankee is only 2% of the electric capacity, there is excess power to meet our needs.

Decommissioning and Fence line Radiation levels at Vermont Yankee

Decommissioning Vermont Yankee
In 2002 the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant promised to take full responsibility for the Decommissioning fund – a special trust of money that will be used to clean up the Nuclear plant whenever it closes down.

In 2008 Entergy changed it’s story – they now say that despite making billions in profits form this one plant, they have no responsibility for its Decommissioning fund and that a special ‘limited liability corporation’ is responsible.