PUTNEY — I am an employee at Vermont Yankee and have been working there since 2005.
Vermont Yankee has allowed me to provide for my wife and five children, and to contribute to my community as a soccer coach, school trip chaperone, Red Cross blood donor, church lector, and participant in many other activities.
One of the attractions of this area, and part of the reason my family and I chose this place, is because of the low cost of power and the fact that it is a great area to raise a family.
I believe that Vermont Yankee is a vital part of our future because it allows for some of the lowest electricity rates in New England and does not emit carbon into our atmosphere.
Nuclear energy needs to be a part of Vermont's energy future, because without it our rates are sure to rise, which is something most Vermonters cannot afford.
Vermont Yankee is already here, contributing to our economy both on a local and state level, so why would people even think of closing it? Health and safety are core values at Vermont Yankee, and they always have been.
I hope that those people who would like to shut down Vermont Yankee truly understand the dire consequences that action will hold for all Vermonters.