NUCLEAR: Vermont Yankee – Another Day Another Court Hearing

English: The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Conservation Law Foundation - Posted: 03 Jun 2013 08:43 AM PDT

On June 4, Judge Reiss of the Federal District Court in Burlington, Vermont will take up the latest lawsuit from Vermont Yankee's owners. Once again, Entergy, the owner and operator of Vermont's tired old nuclear plant, is asking a federal court to give it a free pass.

Entergy wants to stop Vermont regulators from having any say over its operations.

This latest skirmish involves the building of a back-up diesel generator. Entergy claims the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires the generator and that Vermont is getting in its way. It needs the Federal Court to stop any Vermont review of the proposal.
Hold on. Vermont's regulators already issued a proposal that would approve the generator. The only deadline is one that is self-imposed by Entergy. The current schedule allows a final decision even before Entergy's self-proclaimed "deadline."
So what's this really about? Entergy's world view seems to suggest that the less oversight it has the better. But that's not good for Vermont. The federal court should see through Entergy's antics and allow the Vermont proceedings to continue.

You can read Entergy's Complaint here and the State's reply here.

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