Declaration of Independence from Entergy Nuclear at Vermont Yankee

"Trojan Cow" on the prowl at Vermont Yankee, part of the SAGE Alliance "Declare Independence from Entergy" action at Vermont Yankee on July 1stFrom a convening of "The People's Nuclear Regulatory Commission" in Brattleboro, Vermont on May 25th, to a non-violent civil disobedience action (complete with a giant "Trojan Cow" urging the nuclear utility to "Mooooooooove on!", Solar Rollers, 300 protestors, and 40 arrests) at the front gates of the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor on July 1st, large numbers of concerned citizens from Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have declared their independence from Entergy Nuclear and its lapdog, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud receives national Sierra Club Award

This quilt Judy is admiring was created by textile artist Margaret Gregg of Virginia, and was given to her on May 4th by the Sierra Club "No Nukes Activist Team" in honor of her 50 years of anti-nuclear leadership. It reads "JUDITH: PROTECTING LIFE FOREVER."Leon Glicenstein, a life-long friend and supporter of Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud, has written an article for the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter's Summer 2012 newsletter The Sylvanian about the national Sierra Club and the Sierra Club "No Nukes Activist Team" recognition ceremony, held May 4th in Takoma Park, Maryland, honoring Judy's half-century of anti-nuclear leadership not only locally, regionally, and nationally, but even globally. Judy is a founding board member of Beyond Nuclear. Included in Leon's article is a partial list of anti-nuclear victories Judy helped win in her home state of Pennsylvania alone.

Beyond Nuclear posted a tribute to Judy shortly after the ceremony, which includes more photos of the presentation of her quilt (see photo, left), as well as links to writings by Judy, such as her brief history of the Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, which she founded and led for many decades.

Declaration of Independence from proposed Fermi 3 new atomic reactor: "No indoctrination without representation!" regarding Fermi 1 meltdown history

A cover on the 1975 non-fiction book by John G. Fuller, "We Almost Lost Detroit," about the 1966 partial meltdown at the Fermi 1 experimental plutonium breeder reactor in Monroe, MichiganBeyond Nuclear and its allies in the intervention against the proposed new Fermi 3 atomic reactor in Monroe, Michigan have filed their 25th contention opposing the proposed new atomic reactor, citing a violation of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). NRC, Detroit Edison and the State of Michigan have finalized a NHPA mitigation Memorandum of Agreement about the demolition of the Fermi 1 containment shell, despite its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, in order to make room for the construction of Fermi 3, a General Electric-Hitachi so-called "Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor" (ESBWR) . However, the decisions were made without even notifying -- let alone involving -- the public, a violation of NHPA. The coalition has issued a media release.

The intervenors have cited Atomic Energy Commission,Nuclear Power Development Corporation (Dow Chemical, Detroit Edison, et al.), U.S. congressional testimony, anddocumentation on how close the Fermi 1 meltdown of October 5, 1966 came to a "terrifying," catastrophic radioactivity release. The coalition's attorney, Terry Lodge of Toledo, has argued that the Fermi 1 archive must include documentation of the experimental plutonium breeder reactor's original goal of generating weapons-grade plutonium for U.S. hydrogen bombs, as well as materials for radiological ("dirty bomb") weaponry. "The 'official' narrative of this 20th century failure must not be hijacked for use as pro-industry promotion by the 21st century nuclear industry," Lodge said.

"The story of Fermi 1's nearly catastrophic failure offers a large window into the history of commercial nuclear power, an institutional void of safety culture within the primary regulatory agency, and nuclear power’s inherent weapons connection," said Keith Gunter of Livonia, Michigan, a launch partner of Beyond Nuclear and an official intervenor against Fermi 3. "After all, as John G. Fuller's book and Gil Scott-Heron's song titles put it, 'We Almost Lost Detroit,' not to mention Monroe, Toledo, and beyond," Keith Gunter added. (see image, above left)

9 States, NCSL, and Vermont NGOs join VT AG's appeal of Entergy Vermont Yankee atomic reactor ruling

State of Vermont Attorney General SorrellThe Attorney General of the State of Vermont, William Sorrell (pictured left), fresh off his victory against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's "Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision" at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, has filed his brief in New York City appealing a Brattleboro, VT federal district judge's ruling in January which enabled the Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee atomic reactor to continue operating, in contravention of State of Vermont laws. AG Sorrell's brief was supported by "friend of the court" briefs from nine states (Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, and Utah), as well as the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. Also filing "friend of the court" briefs in support of VT AG Sorrell were VT NGOs Conservation Law Foundation, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, the New England Coalition, and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

Activism revs up, as "rogue corporation" Entergy Nuclear sinks to new lows

“Occupy Entergy” coalition efforts are revving up across the U.S., as watchdogs turn up the heat on some of the oldest and most risky atomic reactors in the country. Vermont state legislature leaders have long referred to Entergy Nuclear as a "rogue corporation."

Entergy Nuclear owns the following 10 reactors: Arkansas Nuclear One Units 1 & 2; FitzPatrick, NY; Grand Gulf, MS; Indian Point Units 2 & 3, NY; Palisades, MI; Pilgrim, MA; River Bend, LA; Vermont Yankee. Although owned by Nebraska Public Power District, Entergy operates an 11th reactor at Cooper, NE. Entergy's is the second biggest nuclear "fleet" in the U.S., after Exelon Nuclear. Of these, 4 (FitzPatrick; Pilgrim; Vermont Yankee; Cooper) are General Electric Mark I Boiling Water Reactors, "identical twins" to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 4. River Bend and Grand Gulf are also GE BWRs, of the Mark III containment design.

Following are updates on certain of these troubled nuclear power plants.

Vermont Yankee: although the State of Vermont and New England Coalition just disappointingly lost a round to Entergy in the courts, hope is still high that a separate, mounting appeal to the New York City federal circuit will recognize Vermont's right to "just say no" to the 20 year license extension. The extension was granted by the "Nuclear Rubberstamp Commission" just days after the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe began in March 2011. The Safe and Green Energy (SAGE) Alliance and the Solar Rollers plan an "Independence from Entergy" rally in Brattleboro and non-violent civil disobedience action at Vermont Yankee on July 1st (see poster, above left).

Pilgrim: Beyond Nuclear has joined with Pilgrim Watch in filing a petition to intervene before an Atomic Safety (sic) and Licensing Board, in order to challenge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's refusal to apply "lessons learned" from the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe at identical twin GE BWR Mark Is here in the U.S. At the same time, Pilgrim's own workforce has gone on strike, prompting watchdogs to protest the risk of continued operations by inadequately trained replacement workers. 

Palisades: Prompted by D.C.-based attorney Billie Pirner Garde, advocate for nuclear whistleblowers with decades of experience, U.S. Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) has raised the alarm about the worsening leakage of radioactive, acidic water into the control room and auxiliary building. Entergy has done little more than collect the leaks, originating in the Safety Injection Refueling Water storage tank, in pails. In addition, Garde revealed to Markey that Palisades' safety culture has completely collapsed, with 74% of the workforce afraid to openly challenge management decisions for fear of harassment and retaliation. Attempts to patch the leaks and re-start the reactor have failed; NRC has launced a probe into potential Entergy wrongdoing, and, at Markey's prompting, demanded a copy of the internal workforce survey showing complete collapse of the safety culture at Palisades.

Update on July 4, 2012 by admin

A giant "Trojan Cow," solar rollers, 300 protestors, and 40 non-violent civil disobedience arrests capped the "Independence from Entergy" day of action at Vermont Yankee atomic reactor on July 1st in Vernon, VT.