Piss on Nukes. Vermont Yankee to shut down!

I took this image of the dog with the piss on nukes sign on its back years ago at a protest of the Vermont nuclear power plant near Brattleboro. It was turned into a poster and has graced many a bathroom wall around the country. I am amazed that it took all this time to close down this plant. It has had problems since the beginning but recently the Vermont Senate has voted 26 to 4 against re-licensing the Plant after 2012. Yesterday “Sen. Bernard Sanders told the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday that Vermonters have lost confidence in the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor because of ongoing problems at the plant, including this winter’s radioactive leak of tritium and other isotopes.” “Sanders, a Vermont independent, speaking at an NRC oversight hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, also questioned the effectiveness of the NRC in enforcing federal regulations, noting none of the 27 nuclear reactors that have developed tritium leaks had faced any regulatory fines.” The full story can be found at the Rutland Herald. Here is another story “In Vermont, nuke power faces a test” in USA Today that gives a good overview of the litany of the reactors problems and how its history poses a serious  challenge for President Obama’s plans for more Nuclear power plants. Update!! Vermont Yankee will shut down by the end of 2014. Here is a link to The New York Times article today. This is a great victory for the whole region. Congratulations to all who have put their bodies on the line for so many years to make this happen.