GOVERNOR PETER SHUMLIN, U.S. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS

(I-VT) AND

ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM SORRELL TO SPEAK AT

RALLY TO SUPPORT VERMONT AND DEFEND DEMOCRACY

An unprecedented number of groups and citizens from Vermont and surrounding states will gather on Saturday, April 14, from noon to 2:00 pm on the Brattleboro Vermont Town Common to show support for the democratic will of the people and elected officials of Vermont to retire and decommission the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor as planned rather than extend its original 40-year license.  Organizers say the fight to hold a rogue corporation accountable and support the will of the people is an important exercise in democracy.

 

Vermont has asserted its authority to close the aging, problematic reactor, owned and operated by the Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), on the basis of economic and environmental considerations. Other states are following suit.

“If Vermont wants to move to energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Senator Sanders has stated, “no corporation should have the right to force our state to stay tethered to an aging, problem-ridden nuclear plant.”  

Statements by former Vermont Governor Madeline Kunin, Ralph Nader, and elected officials from around the region will also be issued and available on the website.

“People coming to the rally will learn how important it is to support the right of Vermont — and of all states — to uphold existing laws and the democratic will of their people against “big nuclear’s” abuse of corporate power,” event cosponsor Ned Childs, President of the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution (NEC), based in Brattleboro but representing several states, said.

“The Sierra Club supports Vermont’s efforts and its citizens’ desire to protect our precious natural resources, specifically preventing further radioactive contamination of the soil, air, and water surrounding the Vermont Yankee reactor,” event cosponsor Denis Rydjeski, local Sierra Club leader, said.

“It is in Vermont’s best interest to hold Entergy accountable to begin decommissioning the reactor immediately since so many jobs will be retained in the process and plans for productive reuse of the site can move ahead,” cosponsor Daniel Barlow, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), representing 1180 Vermont companies, said.

“The fight to retire Vermont Yankee is a symbol of the growing national momentum to close all 23 antiquated and faulty Fukushima-type reactors like Vermont Yankee that are still operating in the U.S. today,” cosponsor Jim Riccio, Greenpeace, said.

The rousing, twelve-piece, afro-beat orchestra Fenibo will provide music at the rally, which will also include other family-friendly entertainment.  Co-sponsoring organizations will have information tables with representatives available to answer questions. Plenty of ice cream will be on hand for all to enjoy.

The Saturday, April 14 rally follows a successful March 22 midweek march of over 1,200 people from the Brattleboro Common to local Entergy offices, with related actions that same day at Entergy offices in White Plains, New York (near Indian Point reactors) and Entergy corporate headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The rain location for the rally will be Brattleboro Union High School, 131 Fairground Rd, Brattleboro, Vermont.

April 14 rally sponsors include: Citizens Awareness Network (CAN), Safe & Green Campaign, Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), Nuclear Free Vermont, Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance (VYDA), New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution (NEC), Beyond Nuclear, Greenpeace, SAGE Alliance, Vermont Citizen Action Network, Vermont Toxics Action Center, The Enviro Show, Clamshell Alliance, Sierra Club, Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Connecticut River Watershed Council, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR).

See updates at:

www.safeandgreencampaign.org and www.Facebook.com/shutdownVermontYankee

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