Vt. judge denies bid to keep nuke plant open

AP via SFGate ^ | 7/18/11 | DAVE GRAM, Associated Press

[SmithL]

A federal judge said Monday he would not order that Vermont's only nuclear plant be allowed to remain open while a lawsuit to determine its long-term future plays out.

The state is moving to close the Vermont Yankee plant, with both the governor and the state Senate on record as wanting it to close when its initial 40-year license expires next March.

The plant's owner, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., got a 20-year license extension for Vermont Yankee from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and filed a lawsuit arguing that the federal action pre-empts the state's effort to close the plant.

Last month, Entergy went to court asking for a preliminary order allowing it to stay open while the underlying lawsuit works its way through the courts — possibly all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Monday's order, Judge J. Garvan Murtha said there was no need for such an order because the main trial in the case is scheduled for mid-September, only eight weeks away.

[driftdiver]

A couple of differences. If a coal plant blows up it doesn’t put a bunch cesium in the atmosphere and on the ground.

Secondly, there have been significant advances in design of nuclear plants in the last 50 years. Any 40 yr old plant was certainly designed years before construction.

[meatloaf]

“A couple of differences. If a coal plant blows up it doesn’t put a bunch cesium in the atmosphere and on the ground.”

That’s true.

What is also true is with the current attitude about nuclear power, it will be tougher to build the new designs in this country. That means as long as the management complies with NRC rules and regulations, extensions beyond 40 years will be granted.

[meatloaf]

That would make a great graphic. Unicorns filling buckets with electricity by pissing in them. Then the utility takes the buckets and pours it into a funnel attached to the power grid.

Of course you’d need legions of unicorns to generate the power needed. How long before PETA got upset?

The title? “Where your power doesn’t come from.”

[driftdiver]

‘What is also true is with the current attitude about nuclear power, it will be tougher to build the new designs in this country. “

They’ll never be built until more people tell the envir-whacko’s to shut up. The dark earthers don’t want us to use energy period, it doesn’t matter how safe or what technology is used.