Photo credit: James Cridland, Flickr

“Trash” as in “waste,” that is. This month, CLF kicks off its “Trash Talk” campaign, a multimedia initiative to educate New Englanders about the environmental impacts of waste accumulation and disposal.

As the community service partner of Brown University’s rock radio station WBRU, which serves Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, CLF will receive free air time to inform listeners about the region’s waste problem. The issue is one of increasing concern to the region, not just to environmentalists but to municipalities as well. For example, Rhode Island has a grand total of one landfill that serves the entire state. Unless significant efforts are made to reduce waste, the Central Landfill will reach capacity within 15 years. At the same time, residents and communities throughout the region are stepping up to find innovative ways to reduce waste–and we want you to join us!

Radio spots featuring CLF Rhode Island Advocacy Center Director Tricia Jedele will air throughout the rest of the year.

Curious? Listen to our first spot:

Trash Talk Spot 1 by conservationlawfoundation

The spot began running on Tuesday, and will run continuously until the end of the month.

The campaign continues on Facebook, where users who become fans of the Trash Talk page, “The Landfill,” will get daily news, facts and tips about how to recycle, reuse and reduce waste, along with opportunities to enter contests and win prizes. To learn more, check it out at http://www.facebook.com/letstalktrash.

The campaign is made possible by a grant from WBRU.

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…you can learn Commonwealth Magazine’s “Energy and the environment” issue, out this month. The magazine gives a detailed account of how Massachusetts is doing environmentally–and where we fall short–across a broad range of environmental issues. Best of all, the issue includes interviews with CLF Vice President for Climate Advocacy and Policy Seth Kaplan (“Grass is greener”) and CLF Board of Trustees member (and former CLF president) Doug Foy (“Who’s the real environmentalist?”).

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In an effort not to bury the lede, allow me to first remind everyone that tomorrow night is the Vermont Yankee public hearing. CLF encourages all New Englanders to come out and speak up about what YOU think should happen to Vermont Yankee. Again:

Vermont Yankee Public Hearing
Thursday, July 8
7-8 p.m.
Brattleboro Union High School
131 Fairground Road
Brattleboro, VT (map)

If you feel that you want to speak at the hearing but are finding yourself tongue-tied, the folks in CLF’s Vermont office have put together a few talking points to help guide you in preparing your testimony. Read them below, or download and print the PDF version.

Vermont Yankee Sample Comments & Talking Points

BACKGROUND:

• Vermont Yankee is a leaky, aging nuclear power plant on the banks of the Connecticut River. It is owned by Entergy, a large energy corporation based in Louisiana.

• On February 24, 2010, the Vermont Senate voted to shut down Vermont Yankee by 2012, following two months of news about continued leaks at the facility and false sworn testimony that the leaking pipes never existed.

• CLF requested prompt action to shut down Vermont Yankee until the leaks are repaired, advocating that no entity should be able to pollute with impunity. The Vermont Public Service Board is now considering shutting down Vermont Yankee prior to 2012 and imposing penalties or other consequences in response to the ongoing leaks.

COMMENTS & TALKING POINTS:

• We must stop the leaks.
  • Since January 2010, Vermont Yankee has been leaking tritium and radioactive materials and contaminating groundwater, soil and the Connecticut River.
  • The Public Service Board has the authority and obligation to require Entergy to stop the leaks and clean up the site.
  • Vermont should not be left with a hazardous waste site.
  • Continued contamination harms our environment and our economy. Tip: Read about Yankee’s “Big Mistakes” on www.clf.org and use examples in your testimony: http://www.clf.org/work/CECC/Yankee/docs/BigMistakes.pdf

• We need responsible oversight.
  • The tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico shows the importance of responsible oversight.
  • In the face of inaction by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Vermont regulators should not allow violations of Vermont law.

• Entergy has managed the plant irresponsibly and it must be cleaned up.
  • Vermont Yankee has fallen into disrepair. The same problems that led to the leaks still exist and more problems continue to arise.
  • Pollution levels of the water in many of the wells used to monitor groundwater contamination have been increasing.
  • Entergy’s decontamination efforts—removing only the equivalent of less than one dump truck load of soil, and a small amount of the contaminated water—are inadequate.
  • Entergy identified potential leak sources, but failed to monitor or even gain access to these sources.

Bottom Line: Shut down Vermont Yankee until the leaks are stopped and the site is cleaned up.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

• Discuss personal connections to Vermont Yankee.
  • Explain why you care about the future of Vermont Yankee.
  • Explain how your quality of life has been affected by the irresponsible operation of Vermont Yankee.

• Express disappointment with Vermont Yankee.
  • Discuss how Vermont Yankee should be held to a higher standard and that it is not operating at a level that would make Vermonters proud of their state.

• Propose alternatives to Vermont Yankee.
  • Discuss how Vermont’s energy future does not need to include power from Vermont Yankee. CLF advocates for energy-efficient ways to gain power, including the use of renewable energy and low-carbon alternatives. Build off of these goals or make suggestions of your own to explain how Vermont can use other forms of power to fulfill its energy needs in the future.

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Another radioactive fish was found near the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in southern Vermont.

This is the second time a fish contaminated with Strontium-90 was found in the Connecticut River.

Vermont Yankee officials defy common sense.  They continue to claim there is no connection between the contaminated fish and the nuclear reactor on the banks of the river.

CLF refutes these silly claims.  In testimony CLF filed with the Vermont Public Service Board last Friday, CLF refutes claims that contamination is not moving with water through the ground.

CLF’s expert showed that radioactive isotopes are not limited to areas near the leak.  Instead, they migrated through the site with the release of tritium.  Hydrogeologist Stratton French testified:

“A more likely explanation for their occurence at these distant locations is that these radioisotopes migrated beyond the release point along groundwater flow pathways.  This conclusion is supported by Entergy VY’s own sampling data.”

COME TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD PUBLIC HEARING ON THURSDAY EVENING

AT 7:00 p.m. at the  BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL.

Tell the Public Service Board whether you think.  Should the plant should be closed before 2012 in response to the continued leaks?  This is your chance for your voice to be heard.

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After 12 months chock full of pressing environmental issues and groundbreaking victories, CLF Scoop, our official blog, celebrates its first birthday this week.

This milestone caps off a very successful inaugural year for CLF Scoop. Over the last year, we’ve published a total of 148 posts by 19 different contributors,  which have been read a total of 181,935 times by over 150,000 visitors and received over 1,000 comments.

But we’re just getting started. In the coming year, we want to supply even more environmental news and commentary that both informs and entertains you, our readers. You’re the ones who can and will shape what you read on CLF Scoop  going forward. So speak up! We encourage all of you to submit comments to us on blog posts you feel strongly about, share those posts with your family and friends by clicking the “send/share” button, liking the post on Facebook, voting for it on Digg or StumbleUpon, or re-tweeting it to your own fan base. We even encourage you to share your stories with us or pass along an idea you think would make a great post by e-mailing e-info@clf.org .

On this exciting occasion, we invite all of you to close your eyes with us and make a wish. Not just a wish for another eventful year in the life of CLF Scoop, but a wish for our environment and New England’s future.

What did you wish for? Tell us below.

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Attention Massachusetts voters: Do you want to elect a gubernatorial candidate with big plans for energy and environmental issues? CLF and a diverse coalition of local environmental organizations are giving you the chance to make that determination for yourself by attending the 2010 Gubernatorial Forum on Energy and the Environment.

Each candidate present will have the chance to make a statement and conduct a brief Q&A. Candidates in attendance will include Governor Deval Patrick (Democrat), Jill Stein (Green Rainbow Party), Treasurer Tim Cahill (Independent) and Rep.Brad Jones of the Baker Campaign (Republican). Panelists will include Beth Daley of the Boston Globe and Steve Curwood of Public Radio’s “Living on Earth.”

2010 Gubernatorial Forum on Energy and the Environment
Tuesday, June 29
6-8 p.m.
Old South Meeting House
310 Washington Street
Boston, MA

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Good news for those of you who have been following the controversy surrounding the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Vernon, VT. The Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) has rescheduled the public hearing on the issue for Thursday, July 8 at 7 p.m. at Brattleboro Union High School.

Vermont Yankee has been the subject of public scrutiny as a result of ongoing leaks of radioactive material that have been polluting the environment and putting the health of residents in the surrounding communities at risk. Back in February, the Vermont State Senate voted not to renew Vermont Yankee’s lease after it expires in 2012. Now, at CLF’s urging, the PSB is conducting an investigation to determine if the plant should be shut down even before the planned closing in 2012. Meanwhile, Entergy, the plant’s owner, is continuing to hide crucial information from the public and employ a variety of tactics to delay the case. CLF continues to call for increased transparency on the case and is working hard to educate residents in the area about this increasingly public and controversial issue.

YOU can help. If you have strong feelings about the future of Vermont Yankee, now’s the time to speak up. Join CLF and fellow concerned Vermont residents in attending the public hearing on July 8 and tell the PSB what YOU think should happen to Vermont Yankee.

Vermont Yankee Public Hearing
Thursday, July 8
7 p.m.
Brattleboro Union High School
131 Fairground Road
Brattleboro, VT

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What would make your neighborhood great? Is it more jobs, better transportation choices, diverse housing opportunities, improved access to open spaces like parks and playgrounds? The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA) Great Neighborhoods program wants to help turn your community’s dreams into reality. The MSGA is looking to partner with community groups to develop initiatives that will build better neighborhoods in the Greater Boston area.

The MSGA wants to hear from you. To put your ideas into action, submit a letter of interest explaining your proposed project and how it will benefit your community by July 15, 2010. The letter should be no more than 2-3 pages in length.

Click here to read more about the Great Neighborhoods program and view the MSGA’s official guidelines for writing and submitting your letter of interest.

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Millions of music fans the world over cheered last year’s news that the band Phish was getting back together and heading on the road for another one of their epic tours.  CLF was cheering too.

For close to a decade, Phish’s charity–the Waterwheel Foundation (and check them out on Facebook)–has been a strong supporter of CLF’s work to clean up New England’s waters.  Phish has focused much of the giving on CLF’s Lake Champlain Lakekeeper initiative.  With strong Vermont roots, the band clearly understands how important protecting and restoring New England’s “Great Lake” is to the state’s overall environmental health.  And the band also understands how important a group like CLF is when it comes to championing that cause.

Waterwheel raises money to support groups like CLF in two ways.

• the band has donated royalties it gets from the sale of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Ice Cream.  That’s right, “Phish Food” no longer needs to be a guilty pleasure for you.  Next time you house a whole pint in one sitting, just remember that you are doing your part to help the environment
• the band also invites groups like CLF to work its Waterwheel Merchandise tables at its different shows.  The proceeds from sales of exclusive Phish merchandise, including rare autographed posters, and organic tee shirts and hoodies, go to support the charities who work the tables.

CLF is honored to have been invited to work a table again on this year’s tour.  This Tuesday evening, we’ll be at the Comcast Center Show in Mansfield, MA. Happily for Phish, the show is sold out.  If you are one of the lucky ones with a ticket, please consider dropping by the Waterwheel table at the venue to say hi to me and the other CLF volunteers who are teaming up with Waterwheel to support CLF’s work on behalf of New England’s clean water, clean air, healthy forests, oceans, and communities.

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CLF advocates put a public face on the largely private battle over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant at last night’s event in Brattleboro, VT. The event drew engaged residents of Vermont as well as New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

CLF experts in attendance included Vermont Advocacy Center Director Chris Kilian, New Hampshire Advocacy Center Director Tom Irwin, and Staff Attorneys Sandy Levine (of Vermont) and Sue Reid (of Massachusetts). The advocates spoke about the current situation surrounding the plant and discussed what power in New England would look like in a future without Vermont Yankee, stressing the need to replace outdated power sources like Yankee with clean energy alternatives that will generate safer, greener jobs and spur economic development in the region.

Following the presentation, CLF advocates took questions from the thoughtful, engaged citizens in attendance for over an hour. According to CLF Communications Director Karen Wood, who attended the event along with Special Events Manager Amy Chapin:

“Questions ranged from what kind of monitoring is being done and is more extensive monitoring planned, to do our voices and comments have any bearing on the decisions of the PSB, to whether eliminating Yankee would just make room for other dirty power to fill the gap. Many residents stayed after to speak with each other and with CLF advocates.”

And if the goal of the event was merely to stir up some publicity, it succeeded in that regard as well. The meeting was captured on film by representatives from student environmental journalism initiative “Powering a Nation” as well as a documentary filmmaker who is producing a film about Vermont Yankee. For more immediate press, read this detailed article about the event that ran today in the Brattleboro Reformer along with this one from the Rutland Herald.

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