BRATTLEBORO — I urge all Vermonters to join our neighbors from Massachusetts and New Hampshire on Saturday, April 14, from noon to 2 p.m., at a public rally on the Town Common in Brattleboro to support the efforts of Vermonters and our elected representatives to close and decommission the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor in Vernon.
Vermont Yankee's original 40-year federal license has expired, and it is operating under a state Certificate of Public Good that has been extended only because its Louisiana-based parent corporation is suing the state of Vermont.
This is a very important event in the movement to shut down Vermont Yankee.
Vermont's leaders need to know that the people of the state and region stand behind them. This is our chance to show them, in person, that we appreciate all they're doing to resist the machinations of the multi-billion-dollar Entergy Corporation, Vermont Yankee's owner, to undermine the democratically expressed will of Vermonters and their government so it can continue operating its leaking, accident-plagued reactor and store highly radioactive waste on the banks of our precious Connecticut River.
This is our chance to show our elected officials that we support the state's viable plan for developing a sustainable energy future.
The keynote speaker will be Vermont's U.S. Senator, Bernie Sanders. Also speaking will be Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, as well as other key elected officials who have helped to make Vermont the first state in the country to exercise legal authority, on behalf of its people, to reject a license extension for a nuclear reactor within its borders.
The rally will also feature live music by Fenibo, the popular 12-piece “afro-beat” ensemble.
For more information about the rally, go to www.safeandgreencampaign.org. And please bring as many family members, neighbors, and friends as possible. Your presence really does matter.