Great editorial.
Is every company that donates to charity using it as a cudgel?
I was there at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting when dry compost was thrown. I don't remember any meeting with garbage dumped.
Of course, the conflict was bound to be bitter. The founders of the New England Coalition are scared of nuclear power and made up their minds it was dangerous to them and not needed before Vermont Yankee's groundbreaking.
The utilities that built the plant were carrying out national policy and are not afraid of nuclear power but are aware of its dangers and the need to be always vigilant.
With both sides believing they are right, one will lose.
The opponents are so scared that they decided to use every political tactic available. These include demonstrations and labeling. Imagine a child at a day-care center being told their parent is a “baby killer.”
One of the justifications for the plant being in Vernon was for jobs and taxes. For the grid, the plant could just as well have been in Hinsdale, N.H.
I'll bet the New England Coalition will leave it to others to pick up the pieces.