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Shut Down VT Yankee
(by Fletcher Dea, East Calais - August 27, 2008)
Editor:
It’s time to shut down VT Yankee.
Entergy and its stockholders, not VT ratepayers or taxpayers, must bear the financial responsibility of decommissioning the plant.
We cannot afford another 3-Mile Island. After all the recent accidents and 'incidents' in Vernon it is clear that this aging, decrepit plant doesn’t need more band-aids and duct tape to extend its life another 20 years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has never denied a plant’s license renewal. They have an obvious conflict of interest. Vermonters are owed a serious, credible and independent investigation into the reactor’s safety and reliability.
No matter how many full page ads Entergy takes out claiming to be 'green,' they can’t deny that an accident with radioactive releases would be devastating to the health, environment and economy of Vermont and all of New England. Even without an accident, radioactive waste continues to pile up every day in temporary storage on the shores of the Connecticut River. Plans for safe, permanent disposal of the waste are years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. Do you know anyone who would like to live near a nuclear waste dump?
We can meet our energy needs through more energy efficiency, and many safe, renewable alternative forms of energy. We need a governor who will lead and protect Vermonters’ interests, not Entergy’s. Maine shuttered its plant in Wiscasset years ago and they’re still open for business. Vermont can and must do the same.
Fletcher Dean
East Calais
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