I have been a resident of Massachusetts for nearly 53 years and have recently started a temporary position working as an administrative assistant at Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee.
I am writing not because of my own livelihood, but for all employees at VY and the lives they touch. They are not all Vermont residents; many live in New Hampshire or Massachusetts. There are several employees from my local area of Athol, Mass.
Shutting down VY will affect many individuals and families, and the economics of local cities and towns. The local jobless rate will go up, and economic growth will go down. Our communities can't afford this.
The employees at VY are not very different from the individuals that picket or protest against VY staying open. They all are part of a family; they all have relatives and care very much about them. No one at Vermont Yankee would work for an employer that they felt would endanger their loved ones.
The proof of VY employees' involvement in their communities is in what they are willing to do physically and monetarily for others, as shown in the United Way annual donations and contributions during and after recent natural disasters.
They donate their money and their time by grocery shopping for Project Feed the Thousands. It was an amazing feeling to help load a box truck with Christmas presents for local children and families who were sponsored by VY's Christmas Giving Tree.
My hope is that these contributions will be available for many years to come for the local areas' residents. I would like to continue working alongside these men and women who are using their careers and personal resources to help make a difference in the lives of their friends and neighbors.