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Vermont’s Nuclear Power Dilemma

07/02/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Vermont is a small state. It is small in land mass and small in population. It has one of the highest non-urbanized population densities in the nation. It is also a state where it is nearly impossible to have a political scandal because everyone already knows what is going on. Vermont does not work the way much of the rest of the country does.

This is why Entergy has been having problems with their campaign to woo Vermonters on the subject of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant. The nuclear plant is set to shut down in 2012, but Entergy would like to keep it open and running for another twenty years despite several recent problems with the plant. There have been several radioactive leaks at the plant in recent years, including some from underground pipes that were not suppose to exist. Entergy’s executives swore that they did not exist.

Vermonters are rather spilt on the issue. Most Vermonters, including many in the Assembly, would like it shut down. Some, like Governor Jim Douglas, would like it to stay open. The big problem is that, should Vermont Yankee close its doors, the economic impact would be pretty bad.

One of the problems is that this has been an all or nothing debate. Many people are either for keeping the existing, decaying, and aging building open or shutting it down entirely. There is a third option that no one is exploring. Rather than shutting down Vermont Yankee, build a new plant adjacent to the current site and slowly decommission the old site while the new one is running. Vermont has a number of old mines which can be used to store the old nuclear materials including an abandoned asbestos mine.

It may be time for the people and politicians of Vermont along with Entergy’s executives to begin negotiations regarding the possibility of setting up a new plant instead of either shutting it down and losing jobs or risking a major meltdown in the future.