Vermont Yankee - is Nuclear Power Really Clean Energy?

Last month, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Energy had offered $8.33 in loan guarantees for what will be the first nuclear power plant built in the nation in close to thirty years. The administration described the move as a part of the transition towards a low carbon, clean energy economy. "This is a significant step by the Obama Administration to restart our domestic nuclear industry, helping to create valuable long-term jobs and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was quoted as saying in a White House press release.

But then a funny thing happened. In a move covered by the New York Times and other prominent media outlets, the Vermont Senate voted to not renew a license that would allow the state's only nuclear power plant, Vermont Yankee, to operate beyond 2012. The vote has been viewed as a response to recent revelations about tritium leaks at the plant. Entergy Energy, which owns and operates Vermont Yankee, is facing intense public and government scrutiny over its handling of the leaks.

For example, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory (NRC) recently announced plans to take action on Vermont Yankee by issuing a Demand For Information to Entergy. "I will see to it that the NRC takes every measure necessary to independently assure that the health and safety of the public and the environment is protected at Vermont Yankee," NRC Chairman Gregory Jackzo said in a press release describing the move.

Vermont Yankee sits upon the scenic banks of the Connecticut River, right along the border with my home state of New Hampshire. The tritium leak and resulting controversy has prompted a strong reaction from prominent politicians here in the Granite State. Congressman and candidate for U.S. Senate Paul Hodes has been a particularly vocal on the issue.

"Reckless behavior, deliberate cover-ups, and unfruitful internal investigations from officials at Vermont Yankee have rocked the trust of New Hampshire families living just a stones throw away from this plant," said Hodes. "If we are going to get serious about public safety, the reactors at Vermont Yankee should be shuttered until this leak is resolved," Hodes stated in a recent press release.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has also voiced serious concerns about the plant and its management.

"The fact that there was a tritium leak in 2005 that went unreported illustrates that there continues to be an issue of trust with Vermont Yankee. Families across New Hampshire and Vermont have lost trust in the management of Vermont Yankee, and without that trust we cannot be confident that the plant is operating as it should be, that management is being forthcoming about any potential problems at the plant," Lynch said in statement issued on his website.

Vermont's own Senator Bernie Sanders took the issue a step further, proclaiming that the state senate in his home state had simply confirmed a long held expectation that the nuclear power plant would be shut down after 40 years of operation. He went on to describe the closure of Vermont Yankee as an opportunity for the state to become a true leader in clean energy.

"This is a moment of tremendous opportunity for Vermont to become a world leader in the transformation to a cleaner, smarter and safer energy future," Sanders said in a press release issued on his Senate website. "Along with aggressive efforts to achieve even greater energy efficiency, we also can take better advantage of our natural resources to develop sustainable technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. And as we move forward, I believe we also can create thousands of new, good-paying jobs in Vermont."

In recent years, proponents have worked hard to include nuclear power under the umbrella of clean energy. They've made the argument that nuclear energy is clean when compared to dirty fossil fuels like coal that pump out greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change. The Obama administration's move to support construction of a new nuclear power plant suggests that at least some politicians are listening.

The Vermont Yankee controversy adds a new dynamic to the debate over the future of the nuclear energy industry in the United States. Critics have always argued that nuclear power is not clean. The trouble at Vermont Yankee provides them with a fresh new set of facts with which to make their case. Furthermore, the high profile nature of the controversy has reawakened the same concerns about public safety that have plagued the nuclear industry for decades. One is left to wonder if an industry that has not built a new plant in close to thirty years is really prepared to assume a central role in the effort to building a new energy economy for America.

It may serve politicians in Washington well to remember that many Americans still share a common sentiment about nuclear power: "Not In My Back Yard!"