Monday, January 23, 2012

Court Rule Vermont Can't Close Nuclear Plant

A Judge Rules Vermont Can’t Shut Nuclear Plant
A federal judge on Thursday blocked Vermont from forcing the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor to shut down when its license expires in March, saying that the state is trying to regulate nuclear safety, which only the federal government can do.
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In an extensive review of the legislative record, Judge Murtha pointed out in his ruling that in remarks “too numerous to recount here,” state lawmakers and witnesses made clear that their effort to close the plant was “grounded in radiological safety concerns” — the province of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The commission has already granted Vermont Yankee a 20-year license extension.
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Vermont Yankee produces more than 70 percent of the electricity generated in the state, with much of the power going to the local utilities that are its former owners and the rest exported to neighboring states.
If you could be sure that only Vermont would be denied 70% of their electricity, I might be inclined to let them do it...

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