The state of Vermont and Entergy are engaging in confidential negotiations about the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor (and the future of our region). As citizens we are told very little. State officials are quoted as saying they are “not dealing much with the past” and “everything is on the table.”
Because negotiations are happening behind closed doors, should we just sit back and trust Entergy and the state to make a deal? What we can do is educate ourselves best as we can, and let our state officials and Entergy know what, for instance, we do not want “on the table.” The Safe and Green Campaign is hosting “Cleaning Up Vermont Yankee,” a free educational panel, on Tuesday, December 3, to give people information about the process and the options. Three panelists will present information followed by Q&A and discussion.
Tom Buchanan will give an overview of Yankee, the decommissioning process, and the decommissioning fund. Tom is chair of Windham Regional Commission’s Vermont Yankee Study Committee. Dr. Marvin Resnikoff will address health hazards and funding. He is senior associate of Radioactive Waste Management Associates, has assisted public interest groups and state and local governments across the US in identifying and creating solutions for radioactive waste storage. Deb Katz, executive director of Citizens Awareness Network, will present her recommendations based upon the Rowe Yankee experience.
The panel is from 6:30-8:30pm at the School for International Training, Kipling Road in Brattleboro. Go to the International Center Room 101. More information can be found here, www.safeandgreencampaign.org/resources/
