Nuclear Power Dealt a Big Blow in Vermont

by Tara Lohan · 2010-02-25 11:27:00 UTC
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nuclear plantJust last week, President Obama pledged $8.3 billion for two new nuclear reactors in Georgia and it seemed the ill-fated "nuclear renaissance" had gotten a breath of fresh air. That was until the New York Times reported yesterday that the Vermont senate had voted overwhelmingly to shut down a nuclear plant in Vernon, VT, in two years.

The decision stemmed from safety and environmental concerns about the Vermont Yankee facility. Residents recently learned that radioactive (and potentially carcinogenic) tritium had been leaking from underground pipes. Interestingly the existence of these pipes, Harvey Wasserman writes for The Free Press, was denied by officials from the plant under oath at a public hearing.

And that isn't the first breach of safety, three years ago a cooling tower on the plant collapsed "due to rot," Wasserman accounts.

Come 2012 the plant's license would need an extension and in order for that to happen, both houses have to OK it, the Times reports. So, if the Senate's vote stands by March of 2012, Vermont Yankee will close. However, the issue is complicated by the fact that all members of both houses are up for re-election this fall, the Times explains.

Vermont's safety problems of course are not new in the industry. Wasserman reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has confirmed leaks in at least 27 of the 104 licensed reactors in the country. The new reactors to be built in Georgia have also been flagged by the NRC has unable to "withstand natural cataclysms like hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes."

Of interesting note has been the media's coverage of all the recent nuclear news. Rory O'Connor who co-wrote the book Nukespeak 20 years ago about the cultural history of how the American public was sold nuclear power, wrote this week about an Action Alert from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. FAIR contends that ABC World News and NBC Nightly News "aired incomplete and unbalanced reports" after Obama's announcement about $8 billion for the reactors in Georgia.

Neither reports mentioned any recent safety concerns, especially interesting considering Vermont Yankee's issues were front and center. FAIR also points out that NBC is owned by General Electric "a major player in the industry, and has done business with the company planning to build the Georgia plant." Apparently NBC neglected to disclose that tidbit.

You can read more about FAIR's findings and how to contact ABC and NBC on their Web site. It will also be interesting to see how Vermont's election season shapes up and if the new supreme court decision affecting campaign finance comes into play.

Photo credit: Topato

Tara Lohan is a senior editor at AlterNet.org where she heads up the environment, water, and food sections. Her work has appeared on the websites of The Nation, Mother Jones, the Huffington Post and in Yes! Magazine.
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