February 26, 2010, the New York Times, by Matthew Wald
MONTPELIER, Vt. — In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after 2012, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials and other problems.
Unless the chamber reverses itself, it will be the first time in more than 20 years that the public or its representatives has decided to close a reactor.
The vote came just more than a week after President Obama declared a new era of rebirth for the nation’s nuclear industry, announcing federal loan guarantees of $8.3 billion to assure the construction of a twin-reactor plant near Augusta, Ga.
While it is unclear how Vermont Yankee’s fate could influence the future of nuclear power nationally, the reactor’s recent troubles are viewed by some as a challenge to arguments that such plants are clean, well run and worth building.
Vermont’s governor, Jim Douglas, a Republican, said after the Senate’s vote that he and other governors had met with Mr. Obama on Monday and that Mr. Obama had spoken “passionately” about the need for more reactors.
“It’s ironic that at the same time the president is advancing a strong commitment to nuclear energy, that we’re taking a step in another direction here,” said Mr. Douglas, who had sought to delay a vote until public outrage about several recent missteps at the plant cooled a bit.
In a small, ornate chamber packed with plant opponents, the Vermont senators voiced frustration over recent leaks of radioactive tritium at the 38-year-old plant as well as the collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and inaccurate testimony by the plant’s owner, the Louisiana-based nuclear operator Entergy.
Plant officials had testified under oath to two state panels that there were no buried pipes at Vermont Yankee that could leak tritium, although there were. No tritium has turned up in drinking water, but even plant supporters expressed dismay at the leak and the misstatements.
“If the board of directors and management of Entergy were thoroughly infiltrated by antinuclear activists, I do not think they could have done a better job of destroying their own case,” said one senator, Randolph D. Brock III, a St. Albans Republican who cast several votes friendly to the plant.
In the hours of debate, one virtue of nuclear power emphasized by proponents at the national level — production of electricity without emissions of greenhouse gases — was hardly mentioned, even by supporters.
Entergy said in a statement after the vote, “We remain determined to prove our case to the legislature.”
Under Vermont law, any extension of the plant’s license beyond 2012 would have to be approved by both houses. Unless the Senate reverses itself and the House also approves an extension, the plant must close by March of that year.
All members of the House and the Senate are up for re-election in November, raising the possibility that a vote next year on the plant’s fate could yield a different outcome. Democrats have large majorities in both chambers.
But the company faces a struggle in allaying the concerns of lawmakers and their constituents. In debate, senators cited estimates of over $1 billion for decommissioning the plant, although only about $450 million is on hand for the job. Tritium leaks could raise the bill, they said.
Before debate began Wednesday morning, Entergy said it had instructed a law firm to examine the misstatements its officials had made under oath and concluded that officials had not intended to deceive the state. It said communications had “led to misunderstandings,” and a result was that “the responses were incomplete and misleading.”
Curt L. Hébert, a spokesman for the company, said that Entergy had put five senior employees on administrative leave and that “all the discipline taken had financial consequences for the employees involved.”
Mr. Hébert acknowledged in an interview that the leaks, the cooling tower collapse in 2007 and other problems had been “almost a perfect storm” for the plant.
On Wednesday, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said his agency would investigate the issue of the company’s providing false information to the state.
[Full Story]
Fifteen towns on Tuesday approved resolutions calling on the Legislature to deny continued operation of the Entergy Nuclear Power plant in Vernon, and to require Entergy to fully cover decomissioning costs of the plant. Only one town (narrowly) voted down the measure, while one other passed it over.
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak returns to the Burlington City Council, representing Ward 3 alongside Progressive Marrisa Caldwell. Emma ran unopposed to fill the vacancy left when Progressive Councilor Clarence Davis announced in January that he would not seek re-election. She served previously as City Councilor in Ward 2 for one year, prior to relocating within the Old North End.
Voters in Burlington will elect eight City Councilors tomorrow, and five young Progressives are hoping to paint the town red. They represent the largest slate of Progressives in the Party's 30-year history in Burlington.
Our five Burlington City Council candidates are working hard, spending hours visiting with their neighbors and talking about their vision for a more functional council, and a stronger Burlington. Take a minute to visit them on the web or on facebook. If you like what you read, contact the campaigns directly to get involved and help them win on March 2.