Nuke plant makes top-polluters list

Nov 28 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kyle Jarvis The Keene Sentinel, N.H.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant received a dubious distinction this week when an environmental watchdog organization again included it on its annual list of the worst polluters in New England.

The Toxics Action Center, which works throughout New England to promote clean air and water and sound environmental practices, released the report, "25 Years of the Dirty Dozen: Past and Current Pollution Threats in New England," profiling what it says are "egregious polluters."

Vermont Yankee -- a 40-year-old boiling-water reactor in Vernon owned by the Entergy Corporation -- has been the subject of much controversy in recent years as various environmental groups and the Vermont Legislature have targeted it for decommissioning.

"As of 2010, it was reported that Vermont Yankee has a staggering 690 tons of spent fuel rods on site," the Toxics Action Center said in the report. "Vermont Yankee's safety record is a major concern for public health and environmental reasons."

An Entergy spokesman could not be reached for comment this morning.

Some have argued that Vermont Yankee benefits the community by providing good jobs and charitable support.

Misplaced spent fuel rods, a cooling tower collapse and tritium leaks in underground pipes that Entergy previously denied the existence of were all cited in the report as examples of why the plant poses a health and safety risk to the general public.

"Entergy's blatant disregard for public health and safety has earned the company four Dirty Dozen Awards in ten years," the report's authors said.

Vermont Yankee is worthy of the award "because they continue to try and move forward with operating that facility despite its horrendous history of accidents," said Claire B. W. Miller, a senior community organizer for the Toxics Action Center. "It's a dinosaur, and needs to get with the times and face the reality that it's time to decommission and move all of New England and Vermont towards (safer energy)."

In April 2011, Entergy sued Vermont in federal court, claiming the state legislature overstepped its authority by enacting laws aimed at regulating safety at the plant, which Entergy argued only the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has jurisdiction to do.

The state Senate voted 26-4 in 2010 not to renew the plant's certificate -- required of all utilities to determine whether it serves the general good of the state -- while in March, 2011, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the plant's operating license through 2032.

In January, Judge J. Garvan Murtha issued a 102-page ruling in favor of Entergy. An appeal filed by Vermont has yet to be heard.

The Conservation Law Foundation, a New England-based, environmental advocacy organization, was also a party to the suit in support of the legislature's attempt to close the plant.

"Even when there have been clear requirements placed on Vermont Yankee, Entergy has chosen to ignore them, and instead have brought lawsuits challenging Vermont law," said Sandra Levine, a senior attorney for the foundation. "It's disappointing that Entergy continues to defy very reasonable requirements of Vermont law."

Levine said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission deserves much of the blame for not setting standards high enough.

"It's pretty clear that NRC review is cursory at best, and that the public has lost faith in their ability to effectively regulate the nation's nuclear fleet," she said. "They frequently simply review the information that the industry provides, and put a rubber stamp on it."

Levine said it's time for the country as a whole to move away from nuclear energy.

"All the reactors operating in the country now are all very old," she said. "Even though they may provide some benefits in terms of climate change, that comes with incredibly high cost when coupled with the risks, and you only have to look as far as the Fukushima (Japan) disaster (to see the risks)."

Others who made the "Dirty Dozen" list include: Public Service of New Hampshire; the Brayton Point Coal Power Station in Somerset, Mass.; the Tar Sands Pipeline of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont; the Central Landfill in Johnston, R.I.; Casella Waste Management of Maine; the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority of Connecticut; and the Entergy-owned Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Mass.

Kyle Jarvis can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1433, or kjarvis@keene sentinel.com.