BRATTLEBORO — There have recently been a series of letters to you from friends and employees of Vermont Yankee, all in support of continuing the life of the aging and ailing reactor.
“Issues” such as the numbers of lost jobs, the economic loss to the community, and the reduction of electric power to the region have been offered.
It saddens me to see these people putting (their own) economic well-being plus corporate profits ahead of the health and safety of literally tens of thousands of people within the 50-mile radius of the plant.
To argue economics or technical/scientific issues would be foolish of me - I'm neither an economist, nor a nuclear specialist. What I am, however, is a reasonably intelligent, very concerned local resident.
My common sense instructs me to be very wary when VY has been caught repeatedly in lies, half-truths, and denial of facts.
My imagination informs me of the scene when thousands are on the local roads and highways, fleeing to nonexistent or overcrowded “relief shelters.” This disaster can and must be avoided.
State government should institute a crash program of developing alternative energy sources. At the same time, the state must significantly increase its public education, teaching people how to conserve energy.
Admittedly there might be glitches and slowdowns in such an effort. It might take some time to replace the energy supplied by VY. To make the effort, enlisting the support and understanding of citizens in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire is far superior to risking the catastrophe of a nuclear accident or meltdown.
Although the news media have conveniently “forgotten” it, in Japan the meltdown of reactors of the same age and containment design as VY has resulted in a major crisis for that country.
How many object lessons do we need? Shut VY down in 2012!