I am a resident of Swanzey, N.H. I was born there, went to school there (graduating at the top of my class), left to go to college for my mechanical engineering degree, and returned there to marry my wife, a resident of Keene, and raise my family.
I now have three small children whom I want to grow up in the same small New England town setting that my wife and I grew up in. This is my story, but it is not unique. It is the same as so many other stories of the more than 600 employees of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee - good, honest, hard working, highly qualified individuals who are invested in the welfare of this area, and have made the safe and reliable operation of Vermont Yankee their life's pursuit.
The hard work of these individuals, your neighbors, has gained Vermont Yankee numerous accolades. It has earned top ratings for performance from industry peers and regulatory agencies.
Since 2002, Vermont Yankee has had a production capacity of 94 percent, which means that it operated at its maximum output 94 percent of the time, including scheduled shutdowns for refueling.
Vermont Yankee has a Star rating under VOSHA and the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPPs). Earning recognition as a VPP site is dependent on the site's management commitment and employee involvement in work hazard assessment, hazard control, employee safety, and health training.
All of these actions and accomplishments more than prove the safe and reliable operation of the power plant.
The underlying economic benefit to the local communities ($330 million in ratepayer savings since 2002, and $49 million a year in full-time employee payroll), have been weighed against purely political considerations, and have been put on the chopping block along with the jobs of your friends and neighbors.