BRATTLEBORO — State Sen. Peter Galbraith, D-Windham, announced last week that the Senate Committee on Economic Development, General and Military Affairs will hold a hearing in Brattleboro on Feb. 23 on the future of the Windham County economy after Vermont Yankee.
The hearing will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Brattleboro Retreat Education Center, 75 Linden St.
“While the future of Vermont Yankee has been a divisive issue, I think we can all agree that Windham County needs to look to the future,” said Galbraith. “Vermont Yankee is an important employer and we need to prepare for the day when those jobs are no longer here.”
Committee Chairman Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R/D-Essex-Orleans, emphasized that “our purpose is not to re-litigate nuclear power or VY's license. Those are going forward in other venues. We are interested in what people haven't thought about so far - what will happen in Windham County if and when that large employer closes.”
“Windham County has been losing jobs and workforce for nearly 20 years,” said Galbraith. “Vermont Yankee employees are an important part of our community and Entergy is a generous supporter of charitable activities. As we have learned from other communities where nuclear power plants closed, the high-paid professionals find jobs elsewhere, but communities experience the impact in terms of lost business and declining property values.”
The hearing testimony will be draw on the experience of other towns with similar experience namely Rowe, Mass., and Wiscasset, Maine.
Local residents from each community have been invited to come and share their stories. In addition. Dr. John Mullin, graduate dean at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a nationally know, economic development planner, will talk about his research on the aftereffects of the Yankee Rowe closure.
The committee will be joined by Windham County Sen. Jeanette White, who chairs the Government Operations Committee.
“The state has taken a decision not to extend the operations of one of our largest employers and I believe the state should help us make the transition,” said Galbraith. “These hearings are a first step in that process. While the future of Vermont Yankee is an important question that is not what these hearing are about. They are about the future of Windham County and I am grateful to Senator Illuzzi for holding them so early in the session.”
The local planning committee also announced that Stephan Morse, former CEO of the Windham Foundation, would be leading a Citizens' Committee on post-Vermont Yankee planning.
“This is the biggest challenge that faces the county,” said Morse. “We know that we have to pull together to prepare for this impact by redeveloping our economy; building on our strengths, attracting new people and investment, and creating a positive atmosphere for business operation and innovation.”
Local planning committee members are Brattleboro Town Manager Barbara Sondag; Windham Regional Commission Executive Director Chris Campany; Bob Stevens, principal at Stevens and Associates engineering of Brattleboro; Laura Sibilia, Executive Director of the Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce; and Jeffrey Lewis, Executive Director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp, the economic development agency for southeastern Vermont.