MONTPELIER, Vt. – It’s decision day for Vermont’s only nuclear plant, as the state Senate prepares for a vote that could determine Vermont Yankee’s future.
Senators are expected to vote on – and defeat – a bill Wednesday morning that would allow the consideration of a 20-year extension on a license for the plant currently set to expire in March of 2012.
Supporters of the move to close Vermont Yankee say it’s getting old and less reliable and that its owner, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., has not proven itself trustworthy. Backers of keeping it open say Vermont needs the energy from the plant and its good-paying jobs.
Even if it loses this vote, Vermont Yankee could ask lawmakers to reconsider next year.