About
Learn More about our progressive online community for the Granite State.

Create an account today (it's free and easy) and get started!
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?


Search




Advanced Search


The Masthead
Managing Editors


Jennifer Daler

Contributing Writers
elwood
Mike Hoefer
 susanthe
ActBlue Hampshire

The Roll, Etc.
Prog Blogs, Orgs & Alumni
Betsy Devine
Blue News Tribune (MA)
Democracy for NH
Live Free or Die
Mike Caulfield
Granite State Progress
Seacoast for Change
Susan the Bruce

Politicos & Punditry
Krauss
Landrigan
Lawson
Pindell
Primary Monitor
Scala
Schoenberg
Spiliotes
Welch

Campaigns, Et Alia.
Paul Hodes
Carol Shea-Porter
John DeJoie
Ann McLane Kuster
ActBlue Hampshire
NHDP
DCCC
DSCC
DNC

National
Balloon Juice
billmon
Congress Matters
DailyKos
Digby
Hold Fast
Eschaton
FiveThirtyEight
MyDD
The Next Hurrah
Open Left
Senate Guru
Swing State Project
Talking Points Memo

50 State Blog Network
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Vermont Senate votes against Vermont Yankee relicensure, 26-4

by: NH Ex-pat

Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 15:10:19 PM EST
(Important this side of the river, too! Part put below the fold by me. - promoted by Jennifer Daler)

"To vote 'no' today is a no brainer." - Senator Sue Bartlett, D-Lamoille County

After a long debate that began at 10:30 am, the Vermont Senate has voted against the relicensure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant beyond 2012.  The Senate overwhelmingly voted against the plant's relicensure, 26-4.

Now it goes to the House, where they will bring it up after Town Meeting day. The Democrats have a super majority in the House. CORRECTION: That's it! I've been told that If a bill doesn't pass in one legislative body, it doesn't move to the next.  Since it was a bill to extend the license, the bill got defeated, which means there's no point in moving it forward. That doesn't mean the legislature can't bring it up again in the next session. But in the meantime... celebrate!
NH Ex-pat :: Vermont Senate votes against Vermont Yankee relicensure, 26-4
Here's the breakdown of today's vote.

Roll call on passage.

Ashe: NO
Ayer: NO
Bartlett: NO
Brock: NO
Campbell: NO
Carris: NO
Choate: NO
Cummings: NO
Doyle: NO
Flanagan: NO
Flory: YES
Giard: NO
Hartwell: NO
Illuzzi: NO
Kitchel: NO
Kittell: NO
Lyons: NO
MacDonald: NO
Mazza: YES
McCormack: NO
Miller: NO
Mullin: NO
Nitka: NO
Racine: NO
Scott: YES
Sears: NO
Shumlin: NO
Snelling: NO
Starr: YES
White: NO

Bill defeated, 26-4.
Tags: , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
Vermont Senate votes against Vermont Yankee relicensure, 26-4 | 6 comments
that's huge! (4.00 / 1)
Entergy made their own bed, and I'm confident they'll continue to lie in it - and from it.  
Hodes statement helped build momentum ? (4.00 / 2)
I listened on VPR's live feed, h/t Christian.
I have to believe Congressman Hodes call yesterday to 'shut it down' helped build a wave of momentum for today's VT Senate vote in the numbers we saw. This was not a foregone conclusion, was it ?

'Aints no more
It made a HUGE difference. (4.00 / 6)

The fact that a major political figure outside of Vermont spoke out against Vermont Yankee was telling. It's a New Hampshire issue on so many levels and quite frankly, he's taking more of a leadership on this issue than our own Peter Welch. Welch has always been mum on the plant with the exception of calling an investigation after the first Tritium leak. That was that. Hodes called for an investigation when he heard about it the first time. When he heard about the second leak, he called for a shutdown. THAT was impressive. I think the Vermont Senate took his comments VERY seriously leading up to today's vote. How could it not have an affect?  

Thank you Paul Hodes.

So will it make everyone happy now if I said I'd like to campaign for Hodes this fall? : )  

[ Parent ]
Vermont Senate Votes to Close Nuclear Plant (0.00 / 0)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02...
Vermont Senate Votes to Close Nuclear Plant
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: February 24, 2010
MONTPELIER, Vt. - In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block a license extension for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials and other problems.

Unless the chamber reverses itself, it would be the first time in more than 20 years that the public or its representatives decided to close a reactor.

The vote came barely over a week after President Obama declared a new era of rebirth for the nation's nuclear industry, announcing federal loan guarantees of $8.3 billion to assure the construction of a twin-reactor plant near Augusta, Ga.



'Aints no more
Great news. (4.00 / 1)
Here's Hodes' statement:

"Vermont Yankee has broken the trust of families on both sides of the Connecticut River," said Hodes.  "To get to the bottom of the leak and to ensure the safety of our residents, the plant must close until the leak is fixed.  Strong and immediate action must be taken to hold Yankee officials accountable for the dangerous situation that they have created. We must also ensure that all of the workers are taken care of now and in any transition at the plant."

"Strong and immediate action" is needed (0.00 / 0)
to address a clear and present danger. Toyota shows, the corporate story changes while the investigating continues. When profits get pinched, answers start flowing. Profits are more important than people in corporate America.

'Aints no more
Vermont Senate votes against Vermont Yankee relicensure, 26-4 | 6 comments
Connect with BH
     
Blue Hampshire Blog on Facebook
Powered by: SoapBlox