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VT Senate to vote on BPA
March 16, 2010
This week the Senate will vote on a bill that would ban the toxic chemical BPA from baby bottles, infant formula cans, sports bottles, and more. The science is clear. Numerous independent, peer-reviewed studies have linked BPA to serious helath effects. Now, the FDA has officially stated concern over health risks.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen originally considered for use as a pregnancy drug and is now used in a wide variety of products including sippy cups, baby bottles, and water bottles. BPA can and does leach from food containers and enter our bodies – 9 in 10 Americans have BPA in their bodies, and children have higher concentrations of BPA in their bodies than anyone else.
This is bad. Even very small amounts of BPA have been linked to reproductive disorders, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and even obesity. And yet the chemical industry is opposing this reform – they want to keep selling toxic chemicals like BPA as long as they can. We can protect our children from this toxin, but we need your help to make it happen.
Toxic chemicals have no place being in children’s products. Parents shouldn’t have to be chemists to know what products are safe for their kids.
Vermont Yankee fight far from over
March 11, 2010
"It's far from over." That's what Entergy, the out-of-state corporate owners of Vermont Yankee, said in response to the State Senate vote denying Vermont Yankee's 20-year extension. We have won a monumental victory. But we are not done. We need to ensure that we succeed.
Since the historic Senate vote, towns all across Vermont held town meeting day votes in favor of closing Vermont Yankee as scheduled. In total, now 51 towns have spoken - they want VY closed. On top of that, a new poll came out showing that a huge majority of Vermonters want VY closed on time.1
We are dealing with a pretty horrible corporation that has already shown that lying to Vermonters is ok in their book. The corporation wants Vermont State Representatives to ignore the crumbling state of the VY reactor, the lies, the deception and give them another 20 years.
Entergy executives are pulling out the stops with their hired lobbyists and slick corporate commercials in a desperate attempt to keep the crumbling plant open for another twenty years. The day after the State Senate vote Entergy's lobbyists sent a letter to all the Vermont House members touting how Vermont Yankee is safe, reliable, good for the environment and for Vermont.
Vermont hit a big milestone when we won the vote in the Senate, but we need to bring this home. Entergy will not give up and we won't either.
Senate Votes to Close VT Yankee
February 23, 2010
By a margin of 26 to 4 the Senate voted to retire the aging Vermont Yankee nuclear plant as scheduled. This historic vote marks the first time a state legislature has been able to deny a nuclear plant a 20-year life extension. Find out how your senators voted here.
Literally thousands of Vermonters contacted their legislators in lead up to this vote expressing concern about the reliability of the plant and lack of trust in its out-of-state corporate owners. Vermonters spoke out in hundreds of letters to the editor in papers across the state. And on the day of the vote, braving one of the few snowstorms this winter, more than 250 Vermonters crowded the State House to witness this historic moment. Click here to see the day in photos.
In the weeks leading up to this vote, our efforts have gained national and even international attention. Click here to see a collection of links to the extensive media coverage in this issue outside of Vermont.
This monumental effort would not have been successful without the dedication and support from key coalition partners. Our sincerest thanks go out to:
Citizens Awareness Network
Conservation Law Foundation
Credo Action
Democracy for America
Greenpeace
Nuclear Free Vermont
Safe and Green
Sierra Club of Vermont and New Hampshire
Toxics Action Center
True Majority
Vermont League of Conservation Voters
Vermont Natural Resources Council
Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance
Most of all, our thanks to the thousands of Vermonters who got involved and made the voice of Vermonters a loud roar that drown out the corporate lobbyists and in the end helped democracy work.
But don't think that this is over. We know that Entergy is not going to take defeat sitting down. They're going to pull out all the tricks in the book to try and overturn this victory and circumvent the will of Vermonters. That's why we need to get the House to vote to close VY as well. Their vote to close Vermont Yankee will help secure our victory so that Vermont can get down to business and build our clean energy future.
Protect Vermonters from Toxic Chemicals
February 10, 2010
The system intended to protect consumers from harmful chemicals has failed. The majority of chemicals used in products are approved without being fully tested and are only removed once they have been found to cause harm. Unfortunately, because our exposure to chemicals is so universal, no one can just change their diet or shop their way out of this problem.
Instead, Vermont' s government must take action to adopt a comprehensive approach to chemical regulation that phases out the most harmful chemicals, requires the use of safer alternatives, and honors the public's right-to-know which hazardous chemicals are in what products.
Vermont Yankee - No delays. No Do-overs.
January 28, 2010
Governor Jim Douglas called for a “timeout” on whether the legislature should vote to grant Vermont Yankee a license to continue to operate. This is dangerous. The process needs to go on as scheduled - no delays or do-overs.
We know the plant is too old to be reliable or safe. Delaying a vote won't change that fact. We just can't trust the out-of-state utility executives to tell us the truth about the reactor's safety or reliability. Delaying a vote won't change that fact either
Delaying a vote won't fix the problems at the reactor or stop the radioactive leak, but it would allow Entergy Vermont Yankee to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on PR and lobbyists to try and keep the old reactor running past its retirement date in 2012.
We have a responsibility to pass on a positive legacy to future generations and closing Vermont Yankee as scheduled is the safe and responsible thing to do. Delaying a vote will only slow our transition to a better energy future.
In case you missed it here is some recent news:
Burlington Free Press - Douglas fed up with Vermont Yankee - click here
Time Argus - Douglas wants lawmakers to put off vote on Yankee - click here
New York Times - Radiation Levels Cloud Vermont Reactor’s Fate - click here
Vermont needs to pass real health care reform
January 28, 2010
Our health care system is broken. Millions of Americans and tens of thousands of Vermonters lack adequate health insurance. Those who have insurance are faced with skyrocketing costs, widening loopholes and vanishing choices.
VPIRG is pressing Vermont House and Senate leaders to pass legislation that reins in health costs, provides universal coverage, stops insurance industry abuses, and enhances choice and competition.
The Supreme Court ruled against you
January 26, 2010
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court threw out six decades of established law by granting corporations the right to use their incredible wealth and power to influence elections -- thereby diminishing the power of your vote.
Imagine ExxonMobil, AIG or Entergy-Louisiana for that matter, throwing huge sums of money directly into Congressional or Legislative attack ads. And this on top of the already unbelievable the amount of influence corporations have on elections.
The tortured legal argument is this: We the People are infringing on corporations' "rights" by preventing them from using all of the special advantages they have over real human beings (like unlimited life, limited liability, and lots of other ways of amassing great wealth) to influence political elections.
Congress must act now to protect democracy.
Hold manufacturers accountable for recycling mercury-containing bulbs
January 22, 2010
The benefits of using energy-efficient lamps such as CFLs are tremendous, but not everyone is aware that these bulbs contain mercury and can’t be thrown out with the trash. Right now, Vermonters can bring their bulbs to participating retail stores for easy recycling. However, this program does not have a sustainable funding source.
Collecting and properly disposing of mercury, a hazardous waste, is an expensive endeavor. Currently, the costs of recycling mercury-containing lamps fall squarely on the shoulders of the state, municipalities, and tax payers. Instead, manufacturers should be required to share in the costs and responsibility of properly disposing of their discarded products.
Please take a moment and contact your legislators and encourage them to support a fair and sustainable funding source for mercury-bulb recycling!
BREAKING: VY Is Finally Being Held to Task, Now’s the Time to Shut it Down
January 14, 2010
In a letter just sent to the Vermont Public Service Board, Vermont regulators are directing Yankee’s out-of-state corporate owners to come clean on the leaking radiation amid threats of fines.
Click here to read the letter.
Earlier today, Congressman Markey demanded a federal investigation into leaking nukes.
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3829&Itemi...
Yesterday, Yankee’s owners admitted lying to legislators on the matter.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/14/business/AP-US-Vermont-Yankee...
Last week, the aging plant disclosed radioactivity leaking into the groundwater.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100108/NEWS02/1080316/Radio...
Legislators are fuming now that it’s clear Louisiana-based Entergy lied to them.
Now’s the time to contact your legislator and urge them to shut-down Vermont Yankee.
2010 Legislative Session
January 5, 2010
As we buckle down for a cold, snowy winter, your VPIRG team is heading to the State House for the first day of the 2010 legislative session. If there's one thing to be learned from this past year, it's that organized and passionate people still wield power.
Together, we can make great things happen in Vermont during this legislative session.
Here's just a taste of what your VPIRG advocates will be focused on this year:
Closing Vermont Yankee: Relicensing VY is a bad deal for Vermont. Here are just a few reasons why:
- The Risky Corporate Spinoff: Entergy wants to spin off its old nuclear plants to Enexus, a new debt-ridden company with a "junk bond" credit rating. We have all already learned the dangers of this kind of business move.
- The Decommissioning Fund: It's woefully short of the $1 billion price tag needed to pay for the cleanup.
- The Cost: Entergy wants to increase rates by 45%, sending even more Vermont money out of state rather than into local, renewable energy projects that create local green jobs.
- Nuclear Legacy: Our children deserve better than high level toxic nuclear waste.
Protecting Vermonters from Toxic Chemicals: Companies are continuing to put profits ahead of our health by using dangerous chemicals when safer alternatives exist. We need to increase consumer protections and make producers responsible for their toxic chemicals.
- Bisphenol A (BPA): It's a harmful synthetic estrogen used in baby bottles, water bottles, and a variety of other products. We're working to require the use of safer alternatives to BPA in products in Vermont.
- Electronic Waste: We're working to stop electronics from ending up in our landfills and leaching their toxic contents into our groundwater. We must also ensure that manufacturers share in the cost and responsibility of recycling their products.
- Junkyards: We are working with a coalition of community groups and environmental organizations to ensure that all junkyards are properly regulated and are adhering to a baseline of environmental standards.
Our success depends on people like you who share our values and concerns. VPIRG Advocates will be doing their part in the State House. You can do your part by sending a message to your legislators today. Together, we have the power to beat the big energy corporations and chemical companies in these critical legislative battles.
