The Barre/Montpelier is carrying a story this morning headlined Yankee officials set for closed-door talks that discusses next month’s now not so secret meeting regarding the newly open and transparent (yeah … right) Louisiana Entergy and their broken and breaking more Vernon, Vermont nuclear plant.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Monday that the April 14 meeting was being held at the Keene Country Club in part to avoid the Vermont Right-to-Know Law, which requires that any meeting involving the majority of any elected board be open to the public and be legally warned.

Sheehan said the closed-door session was designed for elected officials and state regulators to ask their questions and get a briefing from NRC officials without the pressure of the press being present or the public listening.

Okay, so at least the NRC is open about the fact they don’t want us unwashed masses getting in on the facts. But so far I haven’t heard any Vermont officials saying they not only won’t but legally can’t attend such a meeting.

The law says …

§ 312. Right to attend meetings of public agencies

(a) All meetings of a public body are declared to be open to the public at all times, except as provided in section 313 of this title. No resolution, rule, regulation, appointment, or formal action shall be considered binding except as taken or made at such open meeting, except as provided under section 313(a)(2) of this title. A meeting may be conducted by audio conference or other electronic means, as long as the provisions of this subchapter are met. A public body shall record by audio tape, all hearings held to provide a forum for public comment on a proposed rule, pursuant to section 840 of Title 3. The public shall have access to copies of such tapes as described in section 316 of this title.

(1 V.S.A. § 312. Right to attend meetings of public agencies per Vermont legislative site)

You will notice there is no provision for holding a meeting somewhere other than in Vermont. In other words this law is binding on all members of a Vermont public body regardless the location of the meeting.

If any such member of a Vermont public body attends this meeting they are knowingly and willfully violating the law.