From today’s Brattleboro Reformer:
Unsubstantiated claims and arguments submitted to the Vermont Public Service Board by parties opposed to the relicensing of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant should not stand in the way of the plant’s continued operation past 2012.
That’s not the reporter quoting anything. That’s just presented there as part of the article. It’s the opening sentence. The piece goes on to make it a little more clear that this is presenting Entergy’s perspective, but it does so primarily by mining Entergy’s own statements, such as…
“(The board should) not be swayed by unsupported legal arguments, perceptions and anecdotes about the impact of the VY Station’s impact … many of which involve public fears and perceptions, not factual evidence …” wrote John H. Marshall, of Downs Rachlin and Martin, which represents Entergy,
…and…
Marshall also contended that the failure to allow continued operation “would result in a significant void in Vermont’s energy portfolio both in terms of the amount of electricity generated and the ability to access a low-carbon, baseload resource.”
Another reason why Yankee should be allowed to continue operation, according to the document, is that without the power plant, “Vermont’s carbon footprint would increase dramatically …” because it would have to rely on generators such as gas-fired turbines to supply it with electricity.
Such reliance would make it “virtually impossible” for the state to achieve the 25-percent reduction in greenhouse gases it is aiming for by 2012.
Seriously? This is what passes for reporting? The reiteration and tacit support for comments from a corporate press release?
No wonder newspapers are struggling.
One has to wonder these days, as you spend 15 minutes reading the freeps cover to cover (if you are lucky and didn’t read USA today for the first version yesterday) if it is the fact that reporters don’t have the time to report or that the folks doing it have just lost direction.
Most of the print and TV stuff is now following the WGOP (thanks PeterF) mold of “try to report just enough of the story to allow you to put your own spin on it” I remember the days when 3 would report on the early days of Bernie in DC and simply refuse to have a photo or clip on the screen, but usually cut to slimeballVallee, “our” national republican committee man, or some other talking head for a 30 second retort to the actual news.
Douglas is enjoying the same kid glove with his attack on state services/government. For a guy who has snuggled up to the teet of the taxpayer ALL his life, he is certainly on a strange trip. AND no one is doing any digging to see what the effect his policy, or really lack of policy, is having on the state.
There is no one left in the Health Dept to give out the new swine flu shots.. it went to a NH company; the plowing of the roads this winter is going to be a hit or miss proposition; bridge projects and maintenance, how long you stand in line at DMV, or get a construction permit from 250, all will take you longer…
Spending an extra hour in the DMV line at your hourly rate once you forget to send in that registration will cost you what??? The Snelling temp tax plan would have saved what in the way of increased federal input to our accounts??
Who knows!!!! no one is looking, and the people who are trying to get the point in the press, are being ignored..
As one of the best paid governors in the country, top ten or close, can Vermont afford Jim Douglas??? Even without his free daily lunch money??!!!
its the bloggers,yeah its the bloggers what done it .Everything would be as it once was but for them bloggers,blogging their bloggy blogs … yeah they did it !