Pardon me, but when VY supporters insist that Vermont would be royally screwed if we shut down the nuke, isn’t it all pure nonsense?  

As I understand it, the electricity market is no respecter of borders. Prices are set, not at the state level, but regionally and/or nationally, based on market forces. Because large-scale power storage is beyond our current capabilities, electricity must be used as it is generated. It flows freely across state lines, so that supply balances demand at every moment.

Thus, if VY closed, the state would not suddenly lose one-third of its power supply. It would have to “import” more power, sure, but there wouldn’t be a shortage. And prices wouldn’t be affected much at all; the absence of VY would diminish the continent’s available pool of electricity — but that’s a really big pool, and the effect would be negligible. Our electricity prices wouldn’t rise any higher than any other state’s.

So the next time you hear Brian, Jim, or Dave bemoan the prospect of extortionate energy prices, businesses fleeing the state, brownouts and blackouts, just remember this: it’s just as untrue as the ranting about the Ground Zero Mosque.