Harvey Wasserman weighs in on Vermont Yankee tritium leaks

Long time nuclear power critic Harvey Wasserman's most recent writing focuses on Vermont Yankee's tritium leaks, and its implications for the "nuclear renaissance." A choice quote: "Indeed, a desperate national industry now pushing for massive federal subsidies to build new reactors may not survive a flood of elderly clunkers being forced to close by the weight of their own contamination. "This is an industry trying to build a new fleet of Titanics while the old ones are sinking," says Katz." [Deb Katz, of Citizens Awareness Network, who resides nearby Vermont Yankee.]

Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen debates William Tucker of "Terrestrial Energy" about Vermont Yankee

Tyson Slocum (pictured at left), director of Public Citizen's Energy Program, went head to head with William Tucker, author of Terrestrial Energy: How Nuclear Power Will Lead the Green Revolution and End America's Energy Odyssey, debating the pros and cons of the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor in particular, and nuclear power in general. WCAX tv aired a report on the debate, as the Vermont State Legislature debates whether or not to grant Vermont Yankee a 20 year license extension, as it leaks large concentrations of radioactive and carcinogenic tritium into groundwater that flows into the Connecticut River. A podcast of Slovum v. Tucker is also available at Vermont's WDEV radio's Mark Johson Show.

Push in Ontario for strengthened tritium drinking water health protection standards

Rosalie Bertell is a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart and Ph.D. in Biometrics. She has been awarded 1986 Right Livelihood (altnerative Nobel Peace Prize) -- and many other environmental and human rights awards -- for her lifelong work to protect human health against the hazards of ionizing radiation and toxic chemicals. On March 1, 2008, Dr. Bertell provided testimony to the Ontario Drinking Water Advisory Council on behalf of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health which she founded. She called for a dramatic strengthening of health protection standards regarding radioactive tritium in drinking water. The Ontario Drinking Water Advisory Council seems to have listened, for in May 2009 it advised the provincial government of Ontario to lower "permissible" levels of tritium in drinking water down from 7,000 becquerels per liter (189,000 picocuries per liter) to 20 becquerels per liter (540 picocuries per liter), a 350-fold strengthening of Ontario health protection standards, and a nearly 40-fold strengthening upon current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards (which allow for 20,000 picocuries per liter of tritium in drinking water).

Beyond Nuclear testimony to Vermont Legislature regarding Vermont Yankee radioactivity leaks

On Jan. 27th, Beyond Nuclear's Radioactive Waste Watchdog, Kevin Kamps, testified before a joint hearing of the State of Vermont House and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees regarding radioactivity leaks from underground pipes at Entergy Nuclear's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor. The notes accompanying Kevin's Power Point Presentation can be obtained upon request. Beyond Nuclear's Reactor Oversight Project Director, Paul Gunter, also prepared a backgrounder on buried pipes and tritium leaks that was distributed to Vermont legislative committee members. Later that same day, nuclear expert witness Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates, Inc., presented a Power Point Presentation documenting Entergy Nuclear's repeated "misstatements" regarding the presence of buried piping that carries radioactive materials at the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor.

Vermont AG investigating alleged perjury by Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee official

The Governor of Vermont, James Douglas, has confirmed that the Vermont Attorney General, William Sorrell, is investigating the possibility that Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee vice-president of operations, Jay Thayer (pictured at left) provided false testimony under oath to the Vermont Public Service Board last year when he assured utility regulators that the Vermont Yankee reactor did not have buried piping that carries radioactive liquids. Last week, Vermont Yankee officials announced that such buried piping does indeed exist at the Connecticut River-side site, which likely explains the tritium contaminated well water revealed there last week.