If Day 1 of the Vermont Yankee court case was a roller coaster, the second day was more of a “slow and steady wins the race” kind of day. From witness one through the close of the day’s proceedings nine hours later the state largely just kept adding to their lead in the case.
The first day of the Entergy vs. Vermont court case was a roller coaster. I went in with great optimism, feeling that the law is on the state’s side and that justice will prevail. Then I met Entergy’s corporate lawyer team.
On September 6th, 2011 VPIRG, in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of Vermont’s case against Entergy’s lawsuit.
Entergy Louisiana announced today its plan to refuel its Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, even though it used the threat of shutting down in an attempt to pressure federal Judge Garvan Murtha into granting it permission to continue operating while its lawsuit winds through the courts.
Minutes ago Judge J. Garvan Murtha sided with the state of Vermont, denying Entergy Lousiana its request for a Preliminary Injunction (PI) to keep Vermont Yankee open past its expiration date while the court case proceeds.
The Attorney General’s decision today may come as good news to Entergy officials who were in danger of being criminally charged, but it’s hardly good news to the tens of thousands of Vermonters who count on that facility to be run by a company that is both competent and reliable. The fact that Entergy is neither reliable nor trustworthy due to its employees’ ignorance is no more comforting than if the officials had intentionally lied under oath.
Sen. Sanders had previously learned that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission had held secret meetings with Entergy Louisiana and subsequently voted 3-2 in a secret meeting to urge the DOJ to take Entergy’s side in litigation over the future of Vermont Yankee.
The 2011 legislative session was filled with victories on VPIRG-backed legislation across each of our program areas. With a new governor in office for the first time in eight years, our small state suddenly had opportunities to pass the kind of major policy initiatives that our friends in other parts of the country could only …
One of my favorite things about directing VPIRG is that by working with members like you and our partners across the state, we manage to get things done that my colleagues in other states can only dream about. Consider our list of accomplishments in the legislative session that just ended on Friday.
The Vermont Electric Coop board of directors just voted 9-1 to reject Entergy’s offer to sell power to them after 2012. The Coop has stood up and said they’re not interested in doing business with an untrustworthy corporation like Entergy Lousiana.
