On Feb. 11, the Vermont Public Service Board plans to begin hearing two weeks of arguments for and against Vermont Yankee's continued operation, as the board considers whether to relicense the Vernon nuclear plant.
But Entergy Corporation, the plant's operator, has filed an appeal with the Vermont Supreme Court over whether the state board should move ahead with this process.
In essence, the Louisiana-based company argues that the Supreme Court should decide the fate of the plant's permit, or Certificate of Public Good, to operate “based on the existing record.”
Subsequently, the anti-nuclear New England Coalition filed a motion last week with the Public Service Board to halt the board's planned proceedings until the Supreme Court has ruled on Entergy's appeal. The coalition is currently involved in its own Supreme Court litigation with Entergy that is aimed at shutting down Vermont Yankee based on previous board orders.
Three federal judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals will decide the fate of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant and the authority that Vermont's government has over it. On Monday, the three-judge panel fielded arguments by two of the nation's leading litigators. Seasoned appellate attorney David Frederick represented Vermont...
State Sens. Robert Hartwell, D-Bennington, and Joseph Benning, R-Caledonia, say they will introduce a bill this legislative session that would establish a three-year moratorium on wind projects with a production capacity of more than 500 kilowatts. Hartwell and Benning say they drafted the bill in response to increasing public...
The Spanish energy conglomerate Iberdrola SA announced in November that it is planning to scale back renewable energy investments in the United States. The decision comes after Moody's downgrade of Iberdrola's credit rating to Baa1, a lower-medium grade, with a negative outlook. The European debt crisis has also restricted the company's ability to expand. Iberdrola is still pursing two wind projects in Vermont, however. The first is the 30 megawatt, 15 turbine Deerfield Wind Project in Readsboro. The Vermont Public...
The Public Service Department asked the Vermont Supreme Court on Monday to deny the New England Coalition's request to halt Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's continued operation until the plant has a new or amended certificate of public good. The department's request comes on the same day that Vermont Yankee's operator, Entergy, filed a motion against the state in federal district court. The motion calls for a mandated withdrawal of the coalition's complaint. What's interesting about the motion is that it's...
When the Green Mountain Care Board approved the core insurance plans for the state's health benefit exchange, board members raised concern that the new insurance marketplace would leave some of Vermont's most vulnerable residents in a precarious position. Several key lawmakers say they must deal with the impact of the fiscal fallout of the exchange on thousands of low-income Vermonters who now receive subsidized health care and will face higher out-of-pocket costs in the new system. “Front and center we...
Vermont Yankee's parent company wants to build a generator at the nuclear power plant site to produce electrical power in the event of a station blackout. In mid November, representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., which owns and runs Vermont Yankee, met with Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials at the agency's headquarters in Rockville, Md., to discuss Entergy's planned application to amend the Vermont Yankee license to allow it to build the generator. The nuclear plant draws power from the Vernon...
Attorneys representing Vermont and Louisiana-based Entergy Corp. are getting in their last jabs before a New York City showdown in the U.S. Court of Appeals. Last month, the state submitted a written argument and Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant's parent company followed up with a reply on Friday, Nov. 9. The case was triggered by Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell's February appeal of federal Judge J. Garvan Murtha's decision to allow Vermont Yankee to continue operating past its state-mandated shutdown date...