- Sep 26, 2000
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http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0224/State-Senate-pulls-the-plug-on-Vermont-Yankee-nuclear-plant
The Vermont State Senate vote to retire the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is a blow to the hope for nuclear renaissance because much of it involves renovating aging plants that critics say are just too old.
On Wednesday, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 to shut down the nuclear plant in 2012, as originally planned apparently the first time a legislature has voted to close a nuclear plant. Louisiana-based Entergy had hoped to relicense the 40-year-old reactor, which had been criticized for collapsed cooling towers and other problems.
Huh. I had always felt pretty safe living just a few miles from the plant.
My confidence was shaken over the last few months.
For those who have not been following it here's the cliffs:
Vermont Yankee got permission to increase power 20 percent at the oldest nuke plant in the country a couple of years ago. A former employee, a "whistleblower" testified at the hearings for the increase the plant was already unsafe and predicted a number of things that would fail if the plant got the 20 percent upgrade. About a year after turning it up, a cooling tower collapsed, as predicted.
Vermont Yankee applied for a 20 year extension of its 2012 turn off date (at the increased 20 percent power) The head guy was asked a bunch of questions, one of which was about leakage of nuclear materials from underground pipes, a problem at other plants. The guy testified Vermont Yankee didn't have any underground pipes.
About 2 months ago radioactive tritium was found in the groundwater around the plant. The head admitted he lied and Vermont Yankee did have those kinds of pipes.
About 1 month we found out not only did the top guy know, but they knew about the leak for over a year, and didn't want to shut the plant down to fix it, as per internal memos. So they poured something like "super glue" into the pipes to hold it until a planned shutdown when they could fix the problem.
About 2 weeks a go Vermont Yankee admitted the leak was a lot more than they had said, and had reached the Connecticutt River.
Vermont Yankee put the top guy on paid leave.
Am I being paranoid? Does this sound like a company I can trust to run this plant? Should I be glad the Vermont Senate voted to shut it down? After all, its going to cost me money since they will have to build alternate generating capacity.
And, on another issue, how the f*ck could the guy who did this not be facing criminal charges?
What do you think?
The Vermont State Senate vote to retire the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is a blow to the hope for nuclear renaissance because much of it involves renovating aging plants that critics say are just too old.
On Wednesday, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 to shut down the nuclear plant in 2012, as originally planned apparently the first time a legislature has voted to close a nuclear plant. Louisiana-based Entergy had hoped to relicense the 40-year-old reactor, which had been criticized for collapsed cooling towers and other problems.
Huh. I had always felt pretty safe living just a few miles from the plant.
My confidence was shaken over the last few months.
For those who have not been following it here's the cliffs:
Vermont Yankee got permission to increase power 20 percent at the oldest nuke plant in the country a couple of years ago. A former employee, a "whistleblower" testified at the hearings for the increase the plant was already unsafe and predicted a number of things that would fail if the plant got the 20 percent upgrade. About a year after turning it up, a cooling tower collapsed, as predicted.
Vermont Yankee applied for a 20 year extension of its 2012 turn off date (at the increased 20 percent power) The head guy was asked a bunch of questions, one of which was about leakage of nuclear materials from underground pipes, a problem at other plants. The guy testified Vermont Yankee didn't have any underground pipes.
About 2 months ago radioactive tritium was found in the groundwater around the plant. The head admitted he lied and Vermont Yankee did have those kinds of pipes.
About 1 month we found out not only did the top guy know, but they knew about the leak for over a year, and didn't want to shut the plant down to fix it, as per internal memos. So they poured something like "super glue" into the pipes to hold it until a planned shutdown when they could fix the problem.
About 2 weeks a go Vermont Yankee admitted the leak was a lot more than they had said, and had reached the Connecticutt River.
Vermont Yankee put the top guy on paid leave.
Am I being paranoid? Does this sound like a company I can trust to run this plant? Should I be glad the Vermont Senate voted to shut it down? After all, its going to cost me money since they will have to build alternate generating capacity.
And, on another issue, how the f*ck could the guy who did this not be facing criminal charges?
What do you think?
Last edited:
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