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This week marked the end of the 20-year operating license for Vermont’s only nuclear power station, Vermont Yankee. Even though the Vermont legislature voted overwhelmingly to deny a renewal of the plant’s operating license, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission overruled the state and granted the aging plant another 20-year license despite a series of safety issues including a cooling tower collapse and leaks of radioactive material into the ground water. The owners of the plant misled legislators and now the issue will likely be tied up in court for years to come.
Vermont utilities have already made other contractual arrangements for power for the state and as of today, none of the power from Vermont Yankee will be coming to Vermont. The Vermont Public Service board must issue a Certificate of Public Good for the plant to continue and it is a stretch to find public good if our citizens do not even get the power generated from the plant.
Without the subsidies including limitation of liability from the government, this plant would not be economical to run. One of the main reasons that more nuclear plants are not being built is our current economic state.
The reality of nuclear waste is even more disconcerting to me. There is no long term solution to the storage of the nuclear waste generated by this plant. This plant is of the same antique design as the Fukushima reactors and I have serious concerns about what we are going to do with tons of nuclear waste sitting on the banks of the Connecticut River. It seems that this issue is constantly swept under the rug but without a solution, there is no way to call nuclear energy a “clean” energy source.
The alternative is the continued development of renewable and dispersed energy sources. Wind, solar, biomass, geothermal are only some of the energy sources that are better suited to serve our energy needs. Even more vital is the acceleration of conservation and efficiency programs. The least expensive and cleanest energy we can get is the energy that we do not use.
There are endless ways that energy is wasted, from those gigantic outdoor patio heaters to advertising lighting that remains on all night. A concentrated and urgent conservation and efficiency effort can reduce our energy requirements with little impact on our lifestyle, and it would make the dangerous use of antique nuclear generators unnecessary.
It is time for Vermont Yankee to be closed on schedule and the decommissioning of the plant to begin.
End Soapbox