An old nuclear reactor in Vermont, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, has had a number of problems lately and Greenpeace has taken notice. “The 38-year-old reactor has a history of contamination issues, including a recent leak of radioactive water,” Becky Striepe of our sister site Ecoscraps writes.
In February, the Vermont Senate voted 26-4 to stop continued operation of Vermont Yankee, led by then-Senator but now newly elected Governor Peter Shumlin. The day after Shumlin was elected as Governor, the company that owns Vermont Yankee, Entergy, announced it was looking to sell the nuclear plant. Hmm, I wonder why….
Following the most recent leak of radioactive water on November 7, to put more eyes on this aging nuclear plant and encourage Entergy to retire it, Greenpeace sent a letter to Entergy CEO J. Wayne Leonard and CEOs of companies that might have been identified as potential buyers of Vermont Yankee yesterday and it flew a blimp over the reactor with a banner on it that read “Shut Down Vermont Yankee.”
“Entergy needs to stop trying to squeeze more profit out of Vermont Yankee or dump the mess they’ve created onto someone else, and instead begin preparations to permanently shut down this old reactor,” said Jim Riccio, Nuclear Policy Analyst for Greenpeace.
Vermont residents seem to be onto the issue, thankfully, and the pressure is on Entergy now to take responsibility and stop trying to make money off of this old nuclear reactor.
“Vermonters no longer trust that Vermont Yankee can operate safely, without accident or radioactive releases to the groundwater,” said Mark Floegel of Greenpeace, “Entergy needs to stop putting their profits ahead of the safety of New Englanders, and shut down Vermont Yankee as scheduled.”
Photo via Greenpeace USA
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