I was privileged to meet yesterday afternoon with a delegation of Russian leaders and activists to talk about decommissioning nuclear power plants.  They were mostly interested in how groups like CLF work within the system.  What are our strategies, tactics and funding to do the work we do? 

The idea that we are funded by members and bring lawsuits or intervene in proceedings seemed more foreign to them than just our different nationalities.

In a country still facing the effects of Chernobyl, it is inspiring that a group of dedicated persons – mostly volunteers – are working so hard internationally on decommissioning.  I am encouraged by their enthusiasm. 

They seemed encouraged by Vermont’s example of passing a law to allow the state legislature to vote on relicensing.  They were wondering if they could do the same in Russia.  CLF helped write and pass that law in Vermont.   Maybe it will help our planet, and not just Vermont, rely more on cleaner forms of energy in the future, and avoid any more nuclear disasters.

News of an “unusual event” at a nuclear power facility is not comforting.  It is particularly troubling when no details are given, and the source is the same entity that has provided false and incomplete information in the past.

What is clear is that there are continuing problems at the Vermont Yankee nuclear facility.

CLF has called for the plant to be shut down now.  Leaks since January are continuing to pollute our environment and harm our economy.

CLF recently submitted detailed legal analysis showing that Vermont regulators have the authority and the obligation to take action in response to the leaks. 

Let’s STOP the “unusual events.”  Enough is enough.

I was fortunate to join six activists in a meeting Wednesday morning with Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  We  delivered a clear message:

Lack of responsible regulatory oversight is unacceptable.  The public has lost faith in the NRC.

As James Moore with VPIRG stated regarding the repeated mishaps at Vermont Yankee:  “We need a cop on that beat and we don’t have one.”

Ray Shadis with the New England Coalition said:  “What we see is a system rotten one end to the other.  The NRC doesn’t see that.”

Chairman Jaczko claimed he shares our same concerns, stating he wished we could follow him around for a day and know that he hears these same concerns from his staff.     I said I look forward to taking him up on that invitation, as well as seeing more robust oversight and action — not just expressions of concern — in responding to mishaps.

Members of the public and the media attended our meeting.  After the meeting  Chairman Jaczko visited Vermont Yankee but declined to include media or the public during that portion of his visit.

Coverage on the meeting in the Times Argus, The Associated Press, and the Brattleboro Reformer. You can also listen to the radio coverage from WFCR out of Western Massachusetts.

Overwhelming support for SHUTTING DOWN VERMONT YANKEE NOW at the Vermont Public Service Board hearing last night in Brattlboro, Vermont. 

A BIG THANK YOU to all the folks who came to the hearing and told the Board ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  

The message from advocates was clear: Vermont Yankee must be shut down.  The continual failings and breakdowns are harming our environment and communities.  The pollution in the Connecticut River, groundwater and the soil must stop.  Great stories about the event in  Times Argus, the Brattleboro Reformer and the Keene Sentinel. 

The hearing was the Board’s chance to hear what the public thinks.  Many people from across Vermont, Massachusetts, and beyond, made the trip to Brattleboro.

If you couldn’t come to the hearing, you can submit comments on Yankee’s leaks electronically to the Public Service Board via:  psb.clerk@state.vt.us  or use CLF’s action alert.

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.

Now is our chance.

On Thursday, May 27, the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) will hold a public hearing on whether to shut down Vermont Yankee right now, instead of waiting until 2012. You will have the opportunity to tell the PSB what you think—whether the PSB should shut down the plant now, or take other action to address the ongoing leaks, false information and company misconduct that violates state laws.

It is important for our regulators, the Vermont Public Service Board, to hear from you.

What can you do to help? Join a growing community of concerned people like you by attending the public hearing on May 27. Tell the PSB what YOU think should happen to Vermont Yankee.

Public Hearing on Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station
Thursday, May 27
7:00 p.m.
Gymnasium at Vernon Elementary School
381 Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, VT

One more voice might be all we need to stop Vermont Yankee in its tracks for good—make it yours.

We know that many of you have unanswered questions about Vermont Yankee and its impact on your community. Join CLF’s team of experts and fellow community members for a discussion about Vermont Yankee, our vision for a clean energy future and how we can get there.

Now is your chance to join in the discussion – and get answers to the questions you may still have.

Vermont Yankee Q&A
Thursday, June 10th
6:00-8:00pm
The River Garden
157 Main Street
Brattleboro, VT

RSVP to events@clf.org or by calling 800.370.0697 x760 by June 7th. We hope to see you there!