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The Vermont Supreme Court will hear arguments today on how much money the state owes the former owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in interest on a tax refund stemming from contributions the former owner made to the plant's decommissioning fund in 1992. The issue involves the 1992 tax return filed by Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp., according to Danforth Cardozo, an attorney with the Vermont Department of Taxes. Cardozo said that the state has already given Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. $800,000 in a tax refund in 2005, and the company is seeking interest dating back to 1992.

On January 2, members of the Safe and Green citizens group are planning to begin a 122-mile, 10-day march from Brattleboro to Montpelier, hoping to convince Vermont state legislators to vote against extending the life of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The group has arranged for lodgings along its route in churches, community rooms and a union hall. A vehicle traveling with the marchers will be available for bathroom breaks. The group anticipates that 50 people from Brattleboro and neighboring towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts will join in the "Step Up to Shut It Down" march (though probably not all at the same time). They hope to persuade others to join them. Speaking to the Nashua Telegraph, organizer Chad Simmons said, "The people living closest to the Vermont Yankee have a unique voice. It's crucial... that [legislators] see there is significant opposition coming from the communities that are around the reactor."

On January 2, members of the Safe and Green citizens group are planning to begin a 122-mile, 10-day march from Brattleboro to Montpelier, hoping to convince Vermont state legislators to vote against extending the life of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The group has arranged for lodgings along its route in churches, community rooms and a union hall. A vehicle traveling with the marchers will be available for bathroom breaks. The group anticipates that 50 people from Brattleboro and neighboring towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts will join in the "Step Up to Shut It Down" march (though probably not all at the same time). They hope to persuade others to join them. Speaking to the Nashua Telegraph, organizer Chad Simmons said, "The people living closest to the Vermont Yankee have a unique voice. It's crucial... that [legislators] see there is significant opposition coming from the communities that are around the reactor."

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's future as a provider of a third of the state's electricity could be in jeopardy if the plant's owner spins it off to a newly created company, the head of the state Senate said Wednesday. The comments from Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, a Democrat who represents Vermont Yankee's home county of Windham, came as lawmakers prepare to debate early next year whether the aging reactor should get a 20-year extension on a license currently set to expire in 2012. Plant owner Entergy Nuclear's plan to spin off Vermont Yankee and five other reactors into a newly created company could make it a "tough sell" to get the Legislature - the only one in the country that has given itself the power to vote up or down on a nuclear license extension - to approve the continuance.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's future as a provider of a third of the state's electricity could be in jeopardy if the plant's owner spins it off to a newly created company, the head of the state Senate said Wednesday. The comments from Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, a Democrat who represents Vermont Yankee's home county of Windham, came as lawmakers prepare to debate early next year whether the aging reactor should get a 20-year extension on a license currently set to expire in 2012. Plant owner Entergy Nuclear's plan to spin off Vermont Yankee and five other reactors into a newly created company could make it a "tough sell" to get the Legislature - the only one in the country that has given itself the power to vote up or down on a nuclear license extension - to approve the continuance.

"he Vermont Senate's vote today to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant underscores the folly of the Obama administration's plan to help the nuclear industry build new reactors throughout the country. As evidenced in Vermont, many things can go wrong with nuclear plants, particularly as they age. At Vermont Yankee, which is 38 years old, radioactive substances leaked underground, and a cooling tower collapsed in 2007. Expanding the federal nuclear loan guarantee program from $18.5 billion to $54 billion, as the Obama administration wants to do, is incredibly bad policy, not only because of the safety risk of nuclear plants, but because of the financial risk as well. The chances of a nuclear utility defaulting on a loan are more than 50 percent; even Wall Street thinks reactors are too risky to back. You could call taxpayer loan guarantees for the nuclear industry "the next big bailout.""

The two issues likely to dominate the legislative session beginning today are the state budget and the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. As legislators face Yankee's future, Yankee's owners will be trying to answer several vexing questions. Vermont Yankee's license to operate expires in 2012, but the plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear Vermont, is seeking a 20-year extension. When Entergy purchased the plant in 2002, one condition of the sale was that the Legislature would have a say on the license extension. Now that decision is before the Legislature.

The two issues likely to dominate the legislative session beginning today are the state budget and the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. As legislators face Yankee's future, Yankee's owners will be trying to answer several vexing questions. Vermont Yankee's license to operate expires in 2012, but the plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear Vermont, is seeking a 20-year extension. When Entergy purchased the plant in 2002, one condition of the sale was that the Legislature would have a say on the license extension. Now that decision is before the Legislature.

"Voters in at least 15 Vermont town will be asked whether they support calling on the Legislature to block the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant from operating past 2012. A resolution circulated by critics of the Vernon reactor and its owner, Louisiana-based Entergy Corp., also asks the Legislature to hold Vermont Yankee to its pledge to clean up nuclear waste on its site. Activists had to gather signatures within towns to include the Vermont Yankee resolution on warnings for Town Meeting, which is held the first Tuesday in March."

"A pair of Vermont consultants blasted an unfunded Texas commission this week for preparing legal language to govern the expansion of a two-state low-level radioactive waste dump in West Texas out of fear it may impact Vermont's ability to dispose of its only nuclear reactor. "We are gravely concerned that this rulemaking is occurring in a rushed and ill-advised manner," wrote Margaret Gundersen, a consultant to the Joint Fiscal Committee of the Vermont State Legislature, and Arnie Gundersen, an appointed member of the public oversight committee advising on operations at the troubled Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The Entergy-owned plant, recently found to be leaking radioactive tritium into area groundwater and ordered closed by the Vermont Legislature, is to be disposed of at the West Texas dump. "

Four elderly women living downwind of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor were arrested Monday afternoon when they walked through the first two security gates at the Vernon reactor and sat down on folding chairs, blocking entry to the plant. The four women, members of the Vermont Yankee Shut It Down Affinity Group, are no strangers to Vermont Yankee protests, and each said they had been arrested multiple times outside the Entergy Nuclear corporate headquarters in North Brattleboro but never prosecuted. Entergy Nuclear officials said that the response by the plant's security forces Monday afternoon went well and denied that security had been breached. But the women, wearing tie-dye T-shirts and carrying folding stools and signs, ignored the entreaties of the armed guard at the guardhouse, marched right past him through the second chain-link gate and then sat down with their folding chairs and protest signs.

Four elderly women living downwind of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor were arrested Monday afternoon when they walked through the first two security gates at the Vernon reactor and sat down on folding chairs, blocking entry to the plant. The four women, members of the Vermont Yankee Shut It Down Affinity Group, are no strangers to Vermont Yankee protests, and each said they had been arrested multiple times outside the Entergy Nuclear corporate headquarters in North Brattleboro but never prosecuted. Entergy Nuclear officials said that the response by the plant's security forces Monday afternoon went well and denied that security had been breached. But the women, wearing tie-dye T-shirts and carrying folding stools and signs, ignored the entreaties of the armed guard at the guardhouse, marched right past him through the second chain-link gate and then sat down with their folding chairs and protest signs.

The Sept. 16 headline on Vermont Yankee is wrong. The correct version should be "Vermont Yankee Radiation Not OK." There are vast amounts of verifiable information that children are highly susceptible to radiation and the truth of this issue is that it is about health. Photos of Yankee's plant failures are scary and the thought of 20 years added on to this plant's existence is not good. Waste from nuclear power plants is dangerous. Where does it go? Vermont Yankee presents many dangers now and in the future and is a risk not worth taking. Renewable energy is possible and practical.

The Sept. 16 headline on Vermont Yankee is wrong. The correct version should be "Vermont Yankee Radiation Not OK." There are vast amounts of verifiable information that children are highly susceptible to radiation and the truth of this issue is that it is about health. Photos of Yankee's plant failures are scary and the thought of 20 years added on to this plant's existence is not good. Waste from nuclear power plants is dangerous. Where does it go? Vermont Yankee presents many dangers now and in the future and is a risk not worth taking. Renewable energy is possible and practical.

The head of the state Senate says it will be much more difficult for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to win legislative approval for a 20 year license extension if the plant gets a new owner. On Wednesday Senate president Pro Tem Peter Shumlin criticized the Department of Public Service for reversing itself and deciding to support a plan by Entergy Nuclear to create a new company that would own Vermont Yankee and five other nuclear plants. Shumlin says the transaction means Vermont Yankee will no longer be owned by a financially strong company, but by a new firm with $4.7 billion in what he calls "junk bond" debt.

The head of the state Senate says it will be much more difficult for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to win legislative approval for a 20 year license extension if the plant gets a new owner. On Wednesday Senate president Pro Tem Peter Shumlin criticized the Department of Public Service for reversing itself and deciding to support a plan by Entergy Nuclear to create a new company that would own Vermont Yankee and five other nuclear plants. Shumlin says the transaction means Vermont Yankee will no longer be owned by a financially strong company, but by a new firm with $4.7 billion in what he calls "junk bond" debt.

Federal regulators gave two green lights to Entergy Nuclear Thursday, saying recent changes Entergy made to the proposed spin-off of its five nuclear reactors, including Vermont Yankee, did not warrant additional review. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also gave Entergy Nuclear another month next year to complete an important test of its reactor containment system in spring, a test that has already been postponed for five years. In the case of the spin-off, which would create a company called Enexus, changes Entergy made to the deal recently won the support of the Vermont Department of Public Service, which acts as the ratepayer advocate. However, the Vermont Public Service Board still hasn't approved the spin-off. Additionally, New York State regulators also have yet to sign off on the deal.

Federal regulators gave two green lights to Entergy Nuclear Thursday, saying recent changes Entergy made to the proposed spin-off of its five nuclear reactors, including Vermont Yankee, did not warrant additional review. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also gave Entergy Nuclear another month next year to complete an important test of its reactor containment system in spring, a test that has already been postponed for five years. In the case of the spin-off, which would create a company called Enexus, changes Entergy made to the deal recently won the support of the Vermont Department of Public Service, which acts as the ratepayer advocate. However, the Vermont Public Service Board still hasn't approved the spin-off. Additionally, New York State regulators also have yet to sign off on the deal.

"The Vermont Public Service Board sanctioned Entergy Corp., owner of the state's lone nuclear plant, after company officials provided misinformation about underground piping carrying radioactive materials. According to the PSB, the false testimony by Entergy witnesses was sufficiently damaging enough to merit sanctions. The New Orleans-based company, which operates the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon, will have to reimburse costs to the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the New England Coalition and the Windham Regional Commission attorney fees and other legal costs related to the plant's misrepresentations about whether it had underground pipes carrying radioactive materials. During 2009 hearings on the proposed extension of the plant's continued operations beyond its scheduled closing in March 2012, Entergy management repeatedly testified that Vermont Yankee has no underground piping carrying radionuclides. "

"A panel appointed by Vermont lawmakers to examine the reliability of Vermont Yankee said Tuesday that a change in corporate culture is needed if the 38-year-old nuclear power plant is to operate past its scheduled 2012 closing. In a revised version of its March 2009 report, the Vermont Yankee Public Oversight Panel took up two issues stemming from developments since then - a leak of radioactive tritium that contaminated soil and groundwater around the Vernon power plant and owner Entergy Corp.'s acknowledgment that its representatives misled Vermont lawmakers and regulators by saying the plant had no underground piping capable of carrying radionuclides."

A legislative committee on Wednesday criticized the Vermont Health Department for reworking the way it measures radiation being emitted by the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant without first bringing the changes to the committee. The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules put the Health Department's radiological health chief in the hot seat over changes that have made it easier for Vermont Yankee to stay within state limits for radiation as measured at the plant boundary.

So maybe Vermont Yankee is not so important to Vermont after all. Actually, Green Mountain Power, the state's second-largest utility, plans to draw about 17 percent of its power from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, according to the utility's latest plans. But that is down from about 40 percent. By cutting back on the share of power it gets from Vermont Yankee, GMP opens the door to a range of renewable sources, including wind and biomass. Significantly, GMP expects hydropower will grow as a share of the utility's mix from 48 percent to 63 percent. That means that Hydro-Quebec would play an increased role as provider of power for the state.

Under pressure from the public, the Vermont Legislature can close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The Vermont Legislature will make history in a vote expected as early as January on whether to allow the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to continue operating after 2012. Never before has a state taken such a vote. "This is a tremendous opportunity for us," said Deb Katz of the Citizens Awareness Network, an antinuclear group based in Shelburne Falls. "But it's not going to be easy."

A former member of the oversight panel that reviewed the results of an audit of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon was asked Wednesday to keep an eye on measures taken by power plant engineers to address issues raised in the audit. Arnie Gundersen, who calls himself a nuclear safety advocate, agreed to spend three days per month monitoring the progress of those engineers on behalf of the Vermont state Legislature. Entergy, which owns and operates Vermont Yankee, has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend Yankee's operating license for 20 more years. The current license expires in 2012. In addition to NRC approval, Entergy must also get the OK from the Vermont Legislature and the state's Public Service Board. The audit, which was conducted by Nuclear Safety Associates, was meant to inform the Legislature's and the PSB's decisions.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas on May 22 vetoed a bill that would have required Entergy Corporation of Louisiana to pay for decommissioning the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) told the Rutland Herald that David Lamont, an expert from the Vermont Department of Public Service, swore under oath before regulators last month that the state would benefit from a bill like the one Douglas just vetoed. Lamont's boss is a Douglas appointee.

A new "pro-renewable energy" organization, which was founded just last week, paid for full-page ads that ran in newspapers across the state blasting Entergy's claims that Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is safe, clean and reliable. Wednesday's ads were sponsored by the Clean Green Vermont Alliance, which was co-founded by David Blittersdorf, a former president of the American Wind Energy Association and co-owner with his wife Jan of NRG Systems. Other co-founders of the Clean Green Vermont Alliance include Pamela Baker of Marketing Partners and Andy Perchlik, executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont.

"The eyes of the country are on Vermont as it makes its decision on whether to allow a small, aging - and leaking - nuclear reactor continue running, a nationally known nuclear watchdog said Sunday. "You are at the forefront," Paul Gunter, executive director of Beyond Nuclear of Washington, D.C., said at the "Leaks & Lies" rally Sunday in downtown Brattleboro, which drew hundreds of people to the Latchis Theater on a sunny late-winter afternoon. "Your fight is really, really important to all of us," he said. "It's really, really important to the future." Gunter said that the "fight is coming," and that the future of the Vermont Yankee reactor is a "focus point nationally" despite recent support by the Obama administration to jump-start the nuclear industry. Gunter and other speakers said this week's vote in the Vermont Senate, expected to be against the continued operation of Vermont Yankee, is far from the last battle over the future of the plant."