The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently cited Vermont Yankee for a security violation that occurred in February. The NRC spokesperson stated that the nature of the problem will not be released to the public due to post-9/11 security concerns. Though the NRC has made it difficult to assess how dangerous this particular incident was, it is not difficult to assess how dangerous the ongoing operation of the plant continues to be.
This aging and deteriorating plant (one of the oldest still in operation in the United States) operates at 20 percent above its original design capacity. The high-level radioactive waste accumulating on the banks of the Connecticut River will be deadly for 250,000 years, yet the river is used for fishing and recreation and as a major irrigation source for agriculture in New England. As has been extensively documented, no nuclear power plant in the country is adequately protected from an attack by air. Evacuation plans are inadequate. Depleted uranium and plutonium produced by the plant's fuel cycle can contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
There's a need to formulate a long-term energy policy that originates with environmental stewardship. Part of that stewardship involves what kind of legacy we bequeath future generations. The kind of highly dangerous legacy left by Vermont Yankee and nuclear plants in general have no place in a plan for a sane energy future.
The Vermont legislature will decide over the next year whether this accident-prone plant will be licensed to operate for another 20 years. On the federal level, legal proceedings are already under way with court hearings in southern Vermont July 21-25. The New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, a Brattleboro-based, membership-supported nonprofit organization, is intervening legally to oppose the 20-year license extension.
Legal fees for this kind of effort are extensive. Tax-deductible contributions can be made by mail to NEC, P.O. Box 545, Brattleboro, VT 05301 or through the group's Web site, www.newenglandcoaltion.org.