Big Duel

The legislature will not vote, this session, on whether or not it favors the relicensing of Vermont Yankee.  There is some question as to its authority in this matter but none as to its importance.  If the legislature votes "no," then the odds are heavily against Yankee operating beyond 2012.

Some 31 towns – cherry-picked by opponents of Yankee – voted against relicensing at town meeting last week.  These votes were symbolic but not meaningless.  And, while the legislature will not vote up or down on license renewal,  there will be action, leaders say, to require that more money be escrowed for decommissioning the plant, which could have the same effect as a vote not to relicense. 

This is a game of chicken which Vermont is not prepared to lose.

If Yankee goes, it takes 1/3 of current power supply to the state's utilities with it.  How will the utilities make up the defecit?   With renewables, say Yankee's opponents. 

Lots of luck with that.  Without Yankee, Vermonters will almost certainly be paying higher rates for dirtier power.  Sounds like a bad deal for everyone.

Comments

[Richard Rogers]

The erection of windmills is being opposed wherever they are proposed here in Vermont. Ruins Vermont's scenic skyline they say. The fight to get them approved is long and expensive.

Solar? Vermont doesn't get that much sunlight. So where does the power come from when solar can't provide it? Wouldn't banks of solar panels also ruin scenic Vermont?

Hydroelectric? Just try to get approval to dam up a river or even fix up and old dam and see what kind of hornet's nest you stir up.

Nuclear is really the only viable alternative to fossil fuel generated power here in Vermont. Vermont Yankee does need to be closed- it's past it's useful life already. Issues of radioactive waste storage do need to be addressed also. But we shouldn't do away with nuclear generated power here in Vermont. It's time to build a new plant (or 2 or 3).

[GreggB]

Viva la revolution, love won, after 40+ years of struggle the power is ours. We have been waiting four decades for our ideals to rise to power and now that they have it is time to shut down a nuke plant. Seize the day, shut down Yankee. No more nukes, no more nukes...

[Doug Hawley]

Sensible is often times a word which describes Vermonters. Seems like sensible has disappeared from our Vermont culture and it's now replaced with senseless. Wouldn't it make sense to have an energy plan with workable solutions before Vermont Yankee is decommissioned? With the prospect of increasing the energy costs for all of Vermonters including businesses, fixed income retirees, the working poor, and municipalities, isn't it senseless to proceed down the road that appears to be shovel ready in the legislature?

[David Bumgardner]

RE nuclear power. It seems to work very well elsewhere particularly Europe, but what do they know. Real Vermonters would never allow progress proven by rational thinking. I agree with Mr. Brooks if VT Yankee is indeed past its useful life, but what company would ever think of building anything so advanced and sensible in Vermont with its laws and attitudes. May be Mr. Madoff could finance it....In the meantime we should adopt the ostrich as our State bird.

[Glenn Eno]

I wonder why anyone rational would even live in Vermont. We have a site which is already used for nuclear power. If Yankee closes tomorrow there won't be some quaint vegetable stand going in there the next day. Instead of decommisioning Yankee, thought should be given into renovating it into a new generation nuclear facility.

CVPS and GMP rely on 2 main provders- Yankee and Hydro-Quebec. I believe the Hydro-Quebec deal is up for renewal within the next couple of years. Early indications are that rates will be going up. Renewables are the drumbeat of the liberals but every alternative energy plan is loaded wih subsidies. If the market cannot justify wind and solar then why should we?

[Milton Newport]

Our legislative leaders said at a press conference last week they want to give turbine companies venture capital and allow them to build wind turbines on state-owned lands. No lumbering or snowmobiles on our pristine, environmentally-sensitive Vermont wilderness, but paved roads leading to 300 foot tall towers are okay. I'm all for wind but it should compete on a level playing field. And I'm still waiting for a real plan to replace VY's 270 megawatts.

[Bob Zeliff]

It seems that entergy refuses to name a price that it will charge the Vt Utilities in the future other than Market. The spot market power price is high. Vt would be a foolish negotiator to give up the license given that fact. Also Vt Utilities have sent out requests for quotes for alternate power sources with very good results. At this time Entergy gives VT about 1/3 of it's power, however it seems that the major Vt power companies want to reduce their relaince on Entergy so evean if it goes forward they will reduce their Entergy contract by about 1/3. It turns out it is a buyer market for long term deals from other traditional sources of hydro, and fossil fuels that would replace Entergy, We have no shortage of power. Also it now seems that Entergy has seriously underfunded the decomisioning fund.
If Entergy had it's way Vermonters would have to pay the short fall of the decomminsion fund when Engergy has long sold 2/3 of thepower to other states who have no residual liability that vt taxpayer have That is plain wrong. Given these facts it seems the legislature is being prudent.

[GB]

No Bob the legislature isn't being prudent they need to shut Yankee down now MAN!!!
Oh wait you aren't talking about shutting it down because of morals but extorting entergy over the right to exist. Sorry man I thought it was about values, love, and stuff.

[Claire Chang]

Germany has 20% less solar benefit than Vermont but Germany has 3300MW of installed solar PV as of 2006. That is equal to 5 times the TOTAL output of VY. Vermont gets 20% MORE sun than Germany. Vermont has GREAT SOLAR POTENTIAL. And solar takes care of the peak load which is the MOST expensive power.

[Lazarus Long]

Watch out! Claire's back with her talking points. Vermont gets 20% more sun than Germany? Hogwash! Ask anyone who was ever on the tank ranges at Grafenwoer.

[Brattleboro_conservative]

Claire Chang: Germany has more land area than Vermont. To install enough solar panels to replace Vermont Yankee you would need a whole lot more open land than what this state has. Where did you plan on putting all those panels? Up and down the mountains (that will go over real well with those who live there) or all our cow pastures? I'm not sure where you get your facts from but Vermont is the worst candidate for any kind of large-scale solar project. I would suggest you look into a nice, quiet room at the retreat, a little bit of rest helps to clear the mind of any cloudy thinking.

[Dennis Lukas]

So who is going to foot the bill for solar and wind all the new business's moving to Vermont? Lets just spend some more tax dollars we do not have.Why is it there is such opposition against business but yet there is a need to spend money no one has earned? You pay all this money to supposedly educate children and if they learn anything they have to leave the state to get a job.Has anyone driven around the entire state? If you do you will see homes vacant and business's closed.The height of the ski season, weekdays, Pico closed, Killington a ghost town, revenues look good though with the tax increases every year.Less business more taxes.Shutting VT Yankee would kill the ski industry. Lets do it and put the final nail in the coffin.

[Reality is Not Brattleboro]

Claire:

I've got three words for you: Base load power. Go look it up. Next, go check out the landmass of Germany vs. Vermont. I think you will find that Germany has significantly more surface area to work with.

Now, back to base load power. Germany has a solution to that little problem. It's called coal. http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2007/gb20070321_923592.htm

So when we shut down Yankee, can we put a coal plant next to your yurt?

[Wendy Wilton]

Why deal with Yankee this session when gay marriage is so much more important to our economic future and well-being?

[PMB]

Why do so many of the forums on nuclear power descend to ideology, ridicule, smarmy "gotcha" comments, and name-calling? There are valid arguments on both sides of the nuclear power issue. I happen to be opposed to nuclear for two main reasons: there is no provable, affordable, or politically viable engineered solution for dealing with the waste; and although the likelihood of a major radiological accident seems remote, the consequences could be so severe as to wipe out the entire region's economy. I agree that it is absurd to think that we can replace VY with wind or solar overnight, and "Reality" is correct that neither of these can be depended on for base load. But the 270 Megawatts of VY's output used in Vermont are easily replaceable from two sources: the rest of the New England grid (only a short term fix, but we do it at every VY outage) and implementation of energy efficiency measures (a longer term solution, but cheaper and better than any other).

[sceptical]

Any serious discussion of solar or wind needs to account for Energy Density. How will disparate low density generation sources like solar or wind satisfy our high density energy needs?

Combining a multitude of low density sources is not trivial nor is it without cost or inefficiencies. Furthermore, its only possible so long as there is a source of high density power to support the base load demands.

[Lazarus Long]

We have a disposal solution for nucular waste. It is called "Nevada", also the home of Harry Reid.