Yay! NRC won't intervene in Yankee law suit

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NRC Won’t Intervene In Yankee Lawsuit


John Dillon - Montpelier, VT

(Host) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it won't intervene in the lawsuit against the state over the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee plant.

Yankee owner Entergy wants a court to rule that only the federal government has the right to control Yankee's future operation.

But the NRC says Vermont has a regulatory role as well.

VPR's John Dillon has more:

(Dillon) Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Entergy a 20-year extension of Yankee's operating license.

And Entergy's lawsuit says Vermont cannot veto that decision. It says federal law trumps a state statute that requires approval of the Legislature and the Public Service Board for Yankee to operate beyond its original 40-year license.

But NRC spokesman Neal Sheehan says the state has a role in the plant's operation, and the federal government won't try to assert overall authority.

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http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/90682/

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1. and more good news

Vermont Electricity Cooperative rejects Vermont Yankee agreement
3:49 PM, Apr. 26, 2011 |

JOHNSON - The Vermont Electric Cooperative board of directors voted 9-1 this afternoon against buying power from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant after March 2012.

The decision by the state's third-largest electric utility is one more blow against Vermont Yankee, which has failed to win state approval for a license extension past 2012. Vermont Yankee parent company Entergy Corp. last week filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court arguing the state has no right to stop the plant from operating.

Last month, Vermont Yankee announced a proposed power agreement with Vermont Electric Cooperative. This raised the hackles of some board members at the cooperative because the board had not signed off on the agreement.

In making a case for the contract in discussions at today's cooperative board meeting, Vermont Yankee Site Vice President Michael Colomb played up the plant's reliability and said a nuclear accident such as the one caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is unlikely to happen at the Vermont Yankee plant, even though the plants share a similar design.

Speaking against the contract, Vermont Yankee critic Arnie Gundersen, a former nuclear engineer from Burlington, said he has concluded the plant is unlikely to be viable economically for many more years ."What I've come to is they're going to shut it down in a year or two," he said.

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http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110426/NEWS02/110426030/Vermont-Electricity-Cooperative-rejects-Vermont-Yankee-agreement?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Lawmaker wants to make keeping Vt. Yankee open a crime

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Montpelier, Vermont - April 26, 2011

A state lawmaker wants to make it a crime for Vermont Yankee to stay open after its license expires.

The state and Yankee's owner, Entergy, are already headed for a battle in civil court over whether the state has the authority to force the plant to close. Now Newfane Representative Richard Marek is introducing legislation that would make it a criminal enterprise to operate a nuclear plant without state approval. Marek's bill would fine Entergy $100,000 a day.

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http://www.wcax.com/story/14516476/lawmaker-wants-to-make-keeping-vt-yankee-open-a-crime