VNRC on Vermont Yankee Closing

Dear Members, Activists and Friends,

Today was a big news day. Entergy announced it will close and decommission the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon in 2014. This is excellent news for Vermonters and for our energy future. Hopefully, this marks the conclusion of a long effort by VNRC and many other organizations to see that this aging plant is retired. (At right is Gov. Shumlin, surrounded by other state leaders, at a press conference he held this morning on the news.)

Now that Entergy has decided to shut down, we at VNRC hope and trust the state will assist those workers displaced by the closing of the plant. Meanwhile, we must continue our efforts to build a clean energy economy based on conservation, efficiency and renewable energy.

This news also represents a significant development for Vermont’s natural resources, including fish species such as the American Shad, and the Connecticut River ecosystem. For the past several years VNRC has been litigating at the Public Service Board raising concerns over Vermont Yankee’s environmental impacts, including the leaking of tritium into groundwater, and the effects of the plant’s discharge of heated water into the Connecticut River. The closing of the plant will end this thermal discharge and improve the health of the Connecticut River.

The next step in this saga is to ensure that the decommissioning of the plant is done properly, that Vermont taxpayers don’t foot the bill and that VY restores the land for future generations.

We plan to stay involved in this transition, and your donation will help us as we keep pressing on until the end!

Meanwhile, we want to thank you, our members and supporters, who have helped us for many years in our efforts to address the plant’s environmental impacts, assure it’s closed and decommissioned, and move Vermont into the 21st century on a cleaner, smarter and more sustainable energy path.

Thanks for all you do!
The VNRC Team