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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• Entergy files new lawsuit against Vermont, this time over diesel backup power permit
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OPINION: CLF thinks Vermont Yankee is Worth More Dead than Alive

Didn't this apply to Point Lepreau? Doesn't it still?

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Posted: 02 Jan 2013 12:40 PM PST

Photo courtesy of Andy Hares @ flickr.com

The financial world is waking up to what a drag Vermont Yankee really is. The tired, old and leaking nuclear plant in Vermont is not carrying its weight. Financial analysts report that Vermont Yankee is economically vulnerable and a retirement announcement would boost stock prices for its parent, Entergy.

You can read the UBS Investment Research report “Re-assessing Cash Flows from the Nukes” here. It states:

“Notably, we believe both its NY Fitzpatrick and Vermont Yankee plants are at risk of retirement given their small size; while potentially negative to sentiment, an announcement to retire the units would likely drive positive FCF revisions.”

Clearly it is past time to close this plant.
Analysts today dropped the projected price target for Entergy’s stock. They see high debt and little cash coming in. Not good news for any investment.

It is good the financial world is waking up to what Vermonters have known for years. Vermont Yankee is not a good deal. It hasn’t been for years. It is expensive and financially risky. Conservation Law Foundation submitted testimony to the Public Service Board on the lousy economics of allowing Vermont Yankee to continue to operate. It does not have enough money for decommissioning, low energy prices mean it is not making money and any problems would saddle Vermont with big problems. You can read CLF’s testimony here.

These are not problems we need. Nuclear power was once touted as too cheap to meter. That has never been true. Now it is too expensive to even keep operating. Thank goodness financial markets are waking up to this fact.

http://www.clf.org/

Related articles

• NRC inspection finds two violations at Vermont Yankee
• Fight over Vermont Yankee in 2 courts this month
• Playing Nuclear Roulette in Vermont
• Shut Down Vermont's Outlaw Nuke?

Vermont Yankee Trial in Federal Court

Image via Wikipedia

Vermont Yankee Trial in Federal Court

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 12:02 PM PDT

The State of Vermont and the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power facility squared off in Federal Court this week.  It was a three day trial.  The days were long.  The testimony was often technical.  The lawyering was skilled.  Vermont Yankee’s owners say everything is about safety and only the federal government can regulate safety so Vermont’s laws are invalid.  It is a convoluted argument.  The dots don’t connect.
Vermont’s able lawyers went toe-to-toe with the owners every step of the way.  The State has a strong case.  Vermonters by nature are frank and direct.  Our laws say what they mean and mean what they say.   There is no decade-long grand conspiracy to hide intentions.  The Vermont Legislature acted well within its rights.
CLF has joined the case as a “friend of the court” and has filed legal pleadings supporting the state.  We are also representing Vermont Public Interest Research Group whose representatives joined me at the hearings, and logged daily accounts of the trial.
The trial is over.  A decision is expected before the end of the year.  Stay tuned.

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CONSERVATION: Wolf Fish deserve protection in the Bay of Fundy too!

The following concerns being expressed for the lower Gulf of Maine apply equally here in the Bay of Fundy.

New research on the Atlantic wolffish, a depleted species that needs our help

By Talking Fish on August 11, 2011

In the deep ocean waters off New England’s coast lives one of our region’s most unique fish species: the Atlantic wolffish. While these fish may look threatening, and indeed they use their canine-like teeth (hence the name “wolffish”) to crush whole clams, scallops, sea urchins and crabs, Atlantic wolffish are themselves under threat from commercial fishing practices and modern fishing gear, which have decimated wolffish populations and destroyed the underwater habitat they call home.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), over 1,200 metric tons of wolffish were caught in 1983. In 2009, the last year for which data is available, U.S. landings declined 97 percent to only 31.6 metric tons. Although wolffish are not targeted commercially, they are caught unintentionally in nets as bycatch, and they are also threatened by destructive modern fishing practices, such as trawling and dredging, that destroy the seafloor. Because wolffish live on the rocky seafloor and depend on its diverse features to hunt for prey and protect their young, the impact of trawling and dredging on these habitats can significantly limit the fish’s reproductive success and survival.


U.S. Landings of the Atlantic woflfish have declined dramatically over the past 25 years.

In 2008, concerned about the decline in Atlantic wolffish populations, the Conservation Law Foundation petitioned NMFS to list the fish under the Endangered Species Act. Although in 2004 the federal government designated the Atlantic wolffish as a Species of Concern, in 2009, NMFS declined CLF’s petition to list the wolffish as endangered, claiming that such protection was not warranted at this time. The New England Fishery Management Council has implemented a total ban on the