After slightly more than 42 years of splitting atoms and generating electricity, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant was permanently shut down on Dec. 29 when control-room operators inserted dozens of neutron-absorbing control rods into the reactor core for the final time.
Entergy, the plant's owner and operator, voluntarily closed the boiling-water reactor, citing economic and other considerations for the move.
The halt to power production at the Vernon plant marks the end of an era for Vermont Yankee's workforce and for the surrounding community. But now another phase in the facility's life will begin as the first steps in what will be a lengthy decommissioning process get underway.
These efforts will receive attention from many quarters. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will have lead responsibility for overseeing the decommissioning activities and ensuring they are carried out safely and in accordance with federal requirements.
A letter published in the Sept. 14 edition of The Commons (“NRC ignores evacuation realities during flooding, road destruction”) sought to make the case that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission neglected its duties when Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont in late August. Unfortunately, the author missed the mark with...