Entergy is actively peddling Vermont Yankee. The rumors Vermont Public Service Commissioner David O’Brien mentioned last week have proven to be true. According to reports Entergy will make an announcement this week. Officials at VY didn’t respond but David O’Brien, continuing his policy of active public commentary on Vermont Yankee, offered up his assessment of the value of the aging plant. David O’Brien is proving Entergy Louisiana’s most active broker real estate agent or simply a nuclear used car salesman.
He stresses the NRC’s rating of the plant though he never mentions the condition of the plant. At the same time he fails to mention why this sale is in the interest of the people of Vermont and turns a blind eye to leaking under ground pipes, a tritium plume and the dangerously under funded decommissioning fund that may leave taxpayer footing the bill.
What environmental concern does Commissioner David O’Brien see as the largest hurdle to the sale of Vermont Yankee? He notes only one environmental problem surrounding the sale.
He said its biggest liability is the political environment in a state with a powerful anti-nuclear movement and where the incoming governor and key legislators are longtime critics of it.
"Certainly the political environment that's developed in recent years in Vermont is a cause for concern for any potential bidder," O'Brien said. "That's real. That I would say is the largest hurdle" to a sale.
“It’s that angry mob of partisan bloggers!”
Of course, I can’t really blame ol’ Dave. Just doin’ what he can to line up his next job. He’ll need one soon enough.
Buy it, shut it down, turn it into a museum showcasing human folly?
for the “political environment” that just saved us from having to listen to David O’Brien for more than another eight weeks
at least we’ll have the memories…
What investor in his right mind would want to buy the damn thing? With Shumlin elected the writing is on the wall that it’s (at long last) closing time for VY in a year or two. All that’ll be left then is the bill for the clean-up. That’s hardly an investment opportunity. By the way, Mr. O’Brien, how much money has your favoritest corporation in the whole world managed to deposit in that clean-up fund? I suppose we could ask re-elected (WTF?) auditor Salmon, but I doubt he’d have a clue…
What does Vermont do if Entergy conveniently finds a “buyer” at the last minute in the shape of some dummy corp. that will then simply vanish (go bankrupt etc.) leaving us holding the smoking carcass of VY? Maybe all those enthusiastic employees who have been on the airwaves singing the praises of their beloved employer will be keen on spending their dwindling pension funds on the clean-up? I mean, they don’t really think Entergy would give a shit about them if push came to shove and the boys in Louisiana could wipe their hands of this whole nasty business, do they?
I believe that:
1. It will be sold for a reasonable price
2. It will be kept open if a sale is executed
3. Entergy has a handshake deal with Shumlin for #2.
His non-denial of the Vermont Tiger story made #3 clear IMHO. This announcement was no surprise whatsoever. The buyer disclosures they’d have to make would be different depending on who won for Gov, but if there were any real uncertainty around Shumlin this wouldn’t have come out hours after he won.
Thot plickens & skullduggery continues.
Book (mystery/white collar crime)? Movie? Computer game? Creative enterprises are endless.