Dear Editor,
In response to Louis Varricchio’s recent letter to VTDigger regarding the moratorium on nuclear energy passed 20 years ago, a few thoughts and facts might be in order.
I was the lead lobbyist who worked for seven years to close the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. I learned a lot about nuclear plants and those who promote them. This plant was old and leaking. We were told not to worry, everything was just fine. It wasn’t.
Today, Vermont has the dubious distinction of housing 58 nuclear waste storage casks on the banks of the Connecticut River. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, spent fuel can be stored in these casks for 60 to 100 years, though the NRC only certifies individual cask systems for 20 years at a time. The waste lasts up to 200,000 years.
It would seem prudent that, before we buy into the industry’s “new and improved nukes” sales pitch, we should resolve the issue of the waste left behind. Managing and monitoring 1.2 million kilograms of spent nuclear fuel at the Vernon site until 2052 is estimated to cost $300 million.
We’re kicking the can down the road for future generations to deal with so that large corporations can make a lot of money. How much more are the taxpayers going to be forced to pay for the new nukes?
Bob Stannard
Manchester Center, Vt.
