Federal regulators say they’re confident the public is not in danger from the tons of radioactive spent fuel stored in an above-ground pool at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The comments by Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials came after a nuclear critic told Vermont lawmakers that the fuel rods should be moved because of the
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UBS has released a report that details fiscal portents “suggesting real retirement risk for units such as Vermont Yankee and (New York’s) Fitzpatrick in ’13; we see (increased) focus on the (decommissioning) process.” Click on this headline for more!
A recent scientific study found that Vermont Yankee has a record of discharging water at temperatures above permitted levels. Even so, the nuclear plant has not violated its discharge permit under the Clean Water Act. For more on this story, visit: Study: Vermont Yankee thermal discharge into Connecticut River exceeds limits | vtdigger.org.
Renewable energy advocates worry that a state fund that has fueled the growth of Vermont’s clean energy industry is running out of money. Governor Peter Shumlin says he has a plan to replenish the fund through a new generation tax on Vermont Yankee. For more on this story, visit: VPR News: Advocates Worry Vt.’s Renewable
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Today, NIRS and 37 other organizations submitted a formal Petition for Rulemaking to the NRC to expand emergency evacuation zones around U.S. nuclear reactors and make other improvements in emergency preparedness. We’re calling this the Nuclear 911 campaign. The widespread radioactive contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster (and Chernobyl before it) makes clear that
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Hot water coming out of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant creates a plume of thermal pollution in the Connecticut River as far south as Holyoke, according to an environmental group calling for tighter restrictions for the nuclear plant. Entergy, the owners of Vermont Yankee, have applied to the state of Vermont for another five-year
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The state Health Department says it’s found trace levels of radioactive material in fish taken from a northern Vermont lake. Last year, the department found similar levels in fish caught in the Connecticut River, near the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. State officials say the fish are still safe to eat. The most recent discovery found
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“The recent Vermont Yankee court decision said the State of Vermont can’t trump the federal government when it comes to issues of nuclear safety. But the same ruling affirmed Vermont’s continuing authority for oversight of other Yankee issues, like enforcement of the Clean Water Act. That’s good, because when your next-door neighbor is a nuclear power plant, their bad housekeeping is more than just a nuisance.” David Deen, Upper Valley River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council writes. Click on this environmental headline for more of this opinion piece on the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.
In its official response to a complaint in federal court, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission accused the state of Vermont of sitting on its hands when given the chance to properly raise issues before the agency. Because of its inaction, claimed the NRC, Vermont has no standing to question the validity of the license renewal granted
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Officials at Entergy Vermont Yankee have refused the state’s request to test for radioactive tritium in a former drinking water well at the plant site in Vernon. As VPR’s John Dillon reports, the state wants the testing in order to learn more about where the tritium is moving. Vermont Public Radio reports. For more on
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The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant sits on a peaceful bend of the Connecticut River, where jays call and herons dive lazily over sun-dappled water. There’s something ominously familiar, however, about the tower of Vermont Yankee’s reactor, which has the same design as those that melted down last spring at Fukushima in Japan. And just
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MONTPELIER — The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant can continue to operate beyond March, a federal judge ruled Thursday, slapping down a state law that tried to shut down the facility. The ruling, which all sides saw as a victory for Vermont Yankee and a defeat for the state, still leaves some decisions about the
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Vermont Yankee says a small amount of radioactive tritium was found in a Connecticut River water sample, but follow-up samples showed no signs of it and the finding poses no risk to public health or safety. For more on this story, visit: Small amount of tritium found in Connecticut River – Boston.com.
Vermont Health officials say radioactive tritium has been detected for the first time on the shoreline of the Connecticut River near the Vermont Yankee plant. Read more here: VPR News: State Says Tritium Found On Conn. River Shoreline.
Vermont’s governor and the Vermont congressional delegation want federal regulators to prohibit Yankee from delaying its decommissioning.
The Connecticut River Watershed Council filed a petition Thursday asking the state to either grant or deny the application for a renewed permit allowing Vermont Yankee to discharge heated water into the river.
Plant spokesman Larry Smith said Monday, Nov. 8, that technicians had begun checking repair options and trying to determine how long the plant will be offline.
If the clock is ticking on the lifetime of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, when will it actually close?
