(…and now we return to our usual sobering content… – promoted by Sue Prent)

There were two updates yesterday. This was from yesterday 3/31/2011, as well as the other one posted. Does not look good.

Untitled from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

Update on Fukushima: Discussion of High Level Radiation Releases and the Previous “Worse Case Senario” Planned for by The Indust from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

Update on Fukushima: Discovery of Plutonium Leakage and Highly Radioactive Water from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

Recieved my issue of ‘Time’ magazine yesterday. Japan catastrophe noticably absent, or perhaps ‘replaced’ is more like it, w/a story which asks ‘Can its young people save Japan’? But no story about current events. How about the fact that situation has worsened in some aspects & estimates of how long it will last is now ‘months’?

‘Health & Science’ section seems to gloss over & minimize the effects, especially ‘Assessing The Threat’ even for the Japanese people.

That plutonium & uranium-laced water is sloshing over the boots of plant workers, er, ‘contractors’ & their condition, plutonium on the site is not mentioned is odd indeed. One could go on. There are sobering headlines by the dozen & serious news accounts by the score which need to be told regardles of how grim they may appear. Sudden backseat Japan continuing debacle has taken noteworthy, in that with the sheer volume of stories & its continuing development, it seems to be gettinging pushed back more & more.  

Several stories on Libya, not surprising & Elizabeth Taylor appropriately gets a few pages. Oh, & there is a story about how crying at work is now ‘OK’, we have their permission.  

In a world where corporate interests take precedence over the best interests of all of us, ‘truth’ is becoming an ever more rare commodity. Here in ‘the land of the free & home of the brave’, ‘truth’ is happily sold out to the highest bidder, processed by the spinmeisters, those who represent & are funded by the special interests, who then spin it to desired consistancy, color it a shade to their liking & serve it to sheepled masses, the gullible public. Intended audience is made clear by the facts or lack therof which are easily recognized by those who are have followed it or knowledgable about the issues.

Depressing to see supposedly reputable news organizations who have allowed themselves to be played by these special interests who then game their viewers or readers by misinforming them.  

Meanwhile back in VT where truth still prevails, we can be grateful & thankful for Fairewinds Associates, the Gundersens, to bring it to us, as well as the expert analysis to understand what the latest developments mean to the average citizen.

*note- I took the fact that an update & video was up, but not posted to GMD as perhaps the Gundersens being too busy to post it to GMD. If there is a story, I would gladly take my story down if there was one that just hadn’t made it up.  

Vt., nuclear plant appears headed for showdown

By Dave Gram

Associated Press / March 11, 2011

MONTPELIER, Vt.-A long-awaited showdown between the state government and Vermont’s lone nuclear plant is on, and neither side has given any indication it will back down.

Some wondered if the NRC might go to court with Entergy to block any move by the state that might be seen as threatening the agency’s authority. But NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko, in a conference call with reporters on Thursday, repeatedly said the state has a role in determining the plant’s future.

Jaczko said there are “a variety of permits and requirements for this facility to operate,” adding that, “I would defer any of those actions (aside from the NRC’s approval) to the state or other authorities.”

Elizabeth Miller, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service, said she was pleased to hear that assurance from the NRC chairman.

http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

New life support for VY; House & Senate bills introduced:

March 08, 2011

Pro-Yankee bill hits Senate

A very short session of the Senate this morning included the introduction of a bill that would eliminate the requirement of legislative approval for the continued operation of Vermont Yankee.

http://rutlandherald.typepad.c…

Never ceases to amaze me the lengths those determined to keep the tired nuclear plant running will go. With pipes decaying from the inside out & outside in, springing leaks on a regular basis it has become VTs very own ‘Old Faithful’.

Although lawmakers have a duty to introduce & sponsor legislation which benefits Vermonters, this is just irresponsible. Plant has been leaking for over a year. Had been leaking into the groundwater since at least 2007. A whistleblower reported a leak going back to 2005, confirmed by NRC. How many more were there we never knew about? Running at 20% above its design specs sure didn’t help. Comes complete with steady stream of mishaps, ‘events’ & failures for seven years. Oh please.

Of particular concern is the naked attempt by Entergy Louisiana machine, including very own Ministry of Propaganda, Entergy sponsored VTEP to ignore & overturn Senate vote & will of the people. Bulldozing their way through the state using VT businesses making false satements to parrot the wants & needs of corporate overlords, another bald attempt at continued occupation of VT. Have they no shame?

How about a ‘Death with Dignity’ bill for VY instead, sponsoring legislation pertaining to its inevitable & final rest as well as that scanty decom fund.  

Bill: S. 84

Title: AN ACT RELATING TO REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT OF LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL OF CONTINUED OPERATION OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Sponsor(s): Flory, Peg

Benning, Joe

Mazza, Dick

Starr, Robert

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/dat…

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill: H. 331

Title: AN ACT RELATING TO REMOVING THE REQUIREMENT OF LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL OF CONTINUED OPERATION OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Sponsor(s): Hebert, Michael

Batchelor, Lynn

Bouchard, Bob

Branagan, Carolyn Whitney

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/dat…

NRC falls in:

Vermont Yankee federal extension expected

By Dave Gram, The Associated Press • Wednesday, March 9, 2011

“Legislation has been filed in the House and Senate — the Senate bill was introduced Tuesday — to strip the Legislature of its power to decide the nuclear plant’s future, but even backers were giving it little chance of passage.”

http://www.burlingtonfreepress…

What’s with that Vermont Yankee mailing?

4:55 AM Tue., March 8, 2011

By Terri Hallenbeck

A bunch of Vermonters have received a mailing from Associated Industries of Vermont, urging them to urge legislators to keep the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running beyond 2012.

http://blogs.burlingtonfreepre…

One year after Windham County lawmakers sent this letter to the editor of the Brattleboro Reformer,making public the recognition that Entergy Louisiana’s Vermont Yankee is in violation of the state statute and public trust doctrine, the groundwater protection law passed in Vermont in 2008.

Two page letter:

http://www.allbusiness.com/gov…

Groundwater protection law:

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/doc…

PSB Docket 7600, was opened in the same time-frame the letter was published, also a year ago, in which environmental group Conservation Law Foundation & citizen advocate antinuclear group New England Coalition asked the VT PSB to take the action of ceasing Vermont Yankee operation or other ameliorative action to stop the release of radioactive releases into the environment.

http://www.rpc.windham.vt.us/e…

One year later, in mid-January of this year, the hearing turned out to be another typical display of Entergy Louisiana’s complete arrogance & utter disregard for the state of Vermont. Engineer testifying foolishly claimed that the leak was not due to the pipe(s), but the cracked concrete casing casing around the pipe(s). This interpretation of the RCA was refuted by Arnie Gundersen & contradicted by NRC’s Neil Sheehan.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/01/12…

PSB in their ruling ordered Entergy to submit bimonthly reports, interestingly in the form of legal affadavits:

http://psb.vermont.gov/sites/p…

During the hearing, no contamination results were submitted to the VT DOH by Entergy/VY. They later claimed a testing equipment failure, but reported this to no one. The fact that this went unreported for roughly 2 weeks, as well as the curious timing, appears to constitute a coverup as there is no reason to conceal this information & not request assistance if there is nothing to hide.

The glaring statewide media headlines reporting the results of the new contamination, thought to be yet another new leak, during the hearings would have been a stunning illustration of CLF’s & NECs contention & served as vivid & damning testimony to the board regarding the immediacy of the situation at hand, as well as the fact that one year after the previous leak(s), nothing has changed & leak(s) appear to be continuing, precisely the reason for opening the docket.

According to a press release published in VTDigger, Vermont Environmental Court has ruled:

“The court’s ruling supports our contention that Vermont Yankee’s continued contamination of groundwater violates the public trust,” said Elizabeth Courtney, VNRC’s Executive Director.

“The ruling also has the effect of strongly supporting[..]this…leaking plant to be shut down,” she said.

And:

“The decision is the first substantive judicial interpretation of the 2008 law (Act 199) designating Vermont’s groundwater to be a public trust resource”

http://vtdigger.org/2011/03/04…

This, along with a few other recent events seems to signal a shift in the wind surrounding Entergy Louisiana’s Vermont Yankee & the continuing debacle. It will certainly be interesting watching these events unfold.  

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

The VT Democratic Party chair has made it official. In a strongly worded statement, Judy Bevins has called for State Auditor Tom Salmon’s resignation, remarking that Salmon’s primary activity is staying in the news while serving his own interests rather than fellow Vermonters & has accomplished little else:

“It’s clear that Tom Salmon is only interested serving one Vermonter – Tom Salmon. As Auditor, his only accomplishment has been his ability to stay in the news, while accomplishing remarkably little. From his publicity-stunt party switch, to his erratic behavior in the press and now this, Tom Salmon may think he was elected to improve his own political standing”[..]

http://vtdigger.org/2011/03/04…

We do not need a politician using his office and the people he has sworn to serve as a mere stepping stone. Had his goals been made clear that he would begin campaigning upon beginning his second term, I’m unsure if he would have won his bid. It is my hope that he will do the right thing & step down for the sake of VT & residents, as the VDP chair is recommending:

“I ask Auditor Salmon to heed my words and resign from office immediately.”

Not holding my breath.

Salmon strikes again

Following a flurry of political activity, including staged media events & several op-eds delivered to VT media outlets in the space of only a few short months Auditor Salmon has been quite busy, but unfortunately as his activity shows, not necessarily in the capacity of his job as State Auditor.  

The present situation has evolved one week after yet another mangled masterpiece delivered to VT media, this time I have only seen it published in The Manchester Journal, Newport Daily Express & VTDigger. I have not seen it in any major news outlets. A commenter asked when VTDigger was going to stop supplying Salmon with free campaign ads. Perhaps the others have caught on.

True to his erratic, disjointed, hard-to-follow style, once again he quotes a famous political figure, reaching high, RFK no doubt. Oddly, using a speech which as far as I can tell fails to connect the other points he makes, if they can be called that.

Launching into an attack on the goals & objectives the majority of Vermonters as well as the Shumlin administration seem to consider of utmost importance:

“In Vermont, leaders seek a go-it-alone healthcare system, public records agenda in the name of transparency, an emotional push to shut down a safe and reliable nuclear plant”[..]

Veering in another direction, arriving here:

[..]”and continued lip service to improving student success. A February 11, 2011 editorial in a major VT newspaper asked “What do we want our schools to be?”

After totally mischaracterizing governor Shumlin’s work assistance initiative, or displaying his complete ignorance thereof & turning it into an indictment of VT education system:

“Why does the current Governor have to team up with our State Colleges to teach “Teamwork, communications, work ethic, showing up to work on time, working a full day, basic computer skills, the ability to read and gather information, and some essential math skills”?

Further blame-gaming VT education system:

“A sad day for me, as a former teacher, is to bump into a former student that at age 20 has no skills, no plan, and no confidence.”

And ending with more of his lame advice:

“Perhaps it is time to measure what we want to achieve.”

As if no one but he has thought of or is doing this.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/02/25…

And as the VDP chair notes, he once again shows himself to be woefully out of touch with Vermonters:

“The fact that Auditor Salmon would seek to oust such a leader for our state shows just how out of touch he is with Vermonters and the needs of our state.”

http://vtdigger.org/2011/03/04/vdp-salmon-puts-vermonters-on-backburner-in-bid-for-senate/

In a daring move, Shumlin & the VT congressional delegation are lobbying president Obama to change the rules regarding decommissioning. Shumlin, claiming that the ‘Safstor’ option does not make sense, that there was not enough transparency concerning the details & that he, a senator at the time was not even aware of the option:

“And I’m asking the president, as is our congressional delegation, to re-affirm common sense.”

“But Shumlin – who served in the Senate at the time – said Safestor was news to him and the public until a few years ago.”

From VPR News:

Shumlin Lobbying For Yankee Decommissioning Rules Change

Thursday, 03/03/11

http://www.vpr.net/news_detail…

( – promoted by BP)

Legacy & print media do not usually venture into the blogsphere outside of their own publications, especially not to criticize & call out a blogger for what amounts to character assasination. Citizen journalism, bloggers & online publication seem to be viewed as a different breed of cat.

That said, I was quite stunned to open the Reformer this morning to a riveting editorial, no doubt, doing just that:

Shooting the messenger

Wednesday March 2, 2011

“If you can’t refute the message then try to discredit the messenger. That’s the tactic several Vermont Yankee advocates have taken to impugn the character and devalue the experience of Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear safety advocate who has been highly critical of the operation of the nuclear power plant in Vernon.”

http://www.reformer.com/reform…  

Apparently, the blogger of Atomic Insights made false statements concerning Vermont Yankee Public Oversight Panel member & VY critic Arnie Gundersen, claiming his resume is overblown plus other character assaults, and, due to this, not qualified to criticize Entergy or other nuclear professionals:

“My point in providing these details is to illustrate the inconsistency involved in having a man who is prone to inflate and exaggerate the facts about his own career experience repetitively speaking about the job performance and alleged lack of integrity of hundreds of qualified professionals whose production gets measured and evaluated every day by some very demanding inspectors.”

This was based primarily on a statement made by an unamed source:

 – “I think he exaggerated his responsibilities for projects at NU, 1972-6.”

http://atomicinsights.blogspot…

How he dared even go there after Howard Shaffer’s claim to state of VT that Mr. Gundersen is not a nuclear engineer & should not be allowed to make the claim failed so miserably is curious.

Anyone who has watched the ongoing debate over continued operation of Entergy Louisiana-owned Vermont Yankee & related events unfold, has witnessed an astonishing display of disinformation. Information dispensed by those who support continued operation has been inaccurate & misleading in their description of the issue & related issues. It has been an eye opener to say the very least.

Pronuclear bloggers particularly & other supporters, without exception have been typically less than accurate at best & more often, completely untruthful. Witness the Entergy Louisiana ‘VT4VY’ fearmongering campaign in which VT business supporters of VY are claiming they will not be able to stay in VT if VY is closed on schedule as electric rates will be unaffordable, when this has been proven to be false. VT electric utilities did not approve the PPA from Enexus because they could not guarantee the price would be affordable & has yet to do so. One of them, Stoweflake Resort owner does not even use power produced by VY. Butch Cersosimo reportedly uses a diesel generator to power his chip plant in Vernon. The IBM-is-leaving scare tactic continues to resurface.

Entergy & supporters have laid the blame for all of their woes upon lawmakers, those tasked with oversight & VT media, especially newspapers, claiming the issue has been overblown & inaccurately reported.  

Nice to see at least one VT newspaper tackling this ongoing issue by taking on irresponsible & untrue comments published by bringing it into the forefront.

Podcast:

http://www.vpr.net/flash/audio…

VPR Presents The Vermont Yankee Debate

Thursday, 02/24/11 4pm

Should Vermont Yankee keep running, or should it shut down?

That’s the question posed to nuclear engineer Arnold Gunderson and chemist/pro-nuclear advocate Meredith Angwin, who oppose and support, respectively, the continued operation of the Vernon reactor.

http://www.vpr.net/episode/50592/