Douglas Hopeful on Vermont Yankee
February 26, 2009
The Associated Press
Gov. Jim Douglas wants lawmakers to consider the future of the
Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant in the final weeks of their session and leave worries about the plant's dismantling fund to regulators.
Some members of the Legislature disagree and say the decision
shouldn't be rushed.
Douglas said Thursday that he thinks lawmakers can have their say
on the future of the plant in the eight weeks remaining in the
legislative session.
"I think the Legislature certainly has time to take it up,"
Douglas
said at his weekly news conference. "The greater certainty we can have
in our electric supply, the better.
"So I think it would be good to get the process going, let the
Public Service Board begin its part of the review and have some
conclusion sooner rather than later."
The plant is seeking to extend its license for 20 years beyond
its scheduled 2012 expiration date. The federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission must approve the request, but Vermont is unique in the
country in that state law also calls for the Legislature to vote to
approve the license extension before it goes forward.
That has set up a high-stakes debate in Montpelier in which
lawmakers are adding an extra layer of scrutiny to the reactor in
Vernon, in the state's southeast corner.
The governor's comments come one week after Vermont Yankee owner
Entergy Nuclear missed a deadline set by legislative leaders to agree
with Vermont's utilities about how much it will charge for power from
Vermont Yankee after 2012.
And at least one of those legislative leaders, Senate President
Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, sharply disagreed with Douglas, saying
lawmakers won't have time to decide on the plant's future in the weeks
remaining for this year's legislative session.
"I've made it very clear to (plant owner Entergy Nuclear) and all
the parties that it would be impossible and irresponsible to rush to
judgment and we won't," said Shumlin, whose Windham County district
includes the reactor site.
Chief among their concerns in recent days has been whether the
plant's decommissioning fund will be adequate to pay for dismantling
the plant when it finally stops operating.
Rep. Tony Klein, chairman of the House Natural Resources and
Energy Committee, said that panel had been working on a bill that
would require Entergy to shore up the decommissioning fund in four
installments between
2011 and 2020.
The fund currently stands at $361 million, having shrunk by
nearly $80 million due to market losses since September of 2007. Klein
said estimates of the cost of decommissioning range from $750 million
to $990 million.
Also at issue is how much Vermont's power companies - and their
ratepayers - will have to pay for electricity from Vermont Yankee
during the license extension period.
State officials had set a deadline of December for Entergy and
the power companies to come to agreement; legislative leaders later
moved that deadline to Feb. 18 if Entergy wanted a vote this year on
the license extension.
Klein agreed with Douglas that a deal still could be struck in
time to allow lawmakers to vote this year. But he said there doesn't
appear to be much progress.
"There are no negotiations currently happening. None," Klein
said. "I have the utilities on the record that they haven't had a
formal negotiation with this plant since last fall."
Jay Thayer, Entergy's vice president for operations, told Klein's
committee this week that he expected to have a new offer for the
utilities within a few days.
Vermont Yankee spokesman Robert Williams said Thursday that plant
officials were hopeful they can get to a deal on the price of power
soon.
"We're working diligently through that process," he said in an
e-mail to The Associated Press. "We must ensure that the agreement on
the long-term price of our product supports a business case that we
can live with for the long term."
The Associated Press
Gov. Jim Douglas wants lawmakers to consider the future of the
Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant in the final weeks of their session and leave worries about the plant's dismantling fund to regulators.
Some members of the Legislature disagree and say the decision
shouldn't be rushed.
Douglas said Thursday that he thinks lawmakers can have their say
on the future of the plant in the eight weeks remaining in the
legislative session.
"I think the Legislature certainly has time to take it up,"
Douglas
said at his weekly news conference. "The greater certainty we can have
in our electric supply, the better.
"So I think it would be good to get the process going, let the
Public Service Board begin its part of the review and have some
conclusion sooner rather than later."
The plant is seeking to extend its license for 20 years beyond
its scheduled 2012 expiration date. The federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission must approve the request, but Vermont is unique in the
country in that state law also calls for the Legislature to vote to
approve the license extension before it goes forward.
That has set up a high-stakes debate in Montpelier in which
lawmakers are adding an extra layer of scrutiny to the reactor in
Vernon, in the state's southeast corner.
The governor's comments come one week after Vermont Yankee owner
Entergy Nuclear missed a deadline set by legislative leaders to agree
with Vermont's utilities about how much it will charge for power from
Vermont Yankee after 2012.
And at least one of those legislative leaders, Senate President
Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, sharply disagreed with Douglas, saying
lawmakers won't have time to decide on the plant's future in the weeks
remaining for this year's legislative session.
"I've made it very clear to (plant owner Entergy Nuclear) and all
the parties that it would be impossible and irresponsible to rush to
judgment and we won't," said Shumlin, whose Windham County district
includes the reactor site.
Chief among their concerns in recent days has been whether the
plant's decommissioning fund will be adequate to pay for dismantling
the plant when it finally stops operating.
Rep. Tony Klein, chairman of the House Natural Resources and
Energy Committee, said that panel had been working on a bill that
would require Entergy to shore up the decommissioning fund in four
installments between
2011 and 2020.
The fund currently stands at $361 million, having shrunk by
nearly $80 million due to market losses since September of 2007. Klein
said estimates of the cost of decommissioning range from $750 million
to $990 million.
Also at issue is how much Vermont's power companies - and their
ratepayers - will have to pay for electricity from Vermont Yankee
during the license extension period.
State officials had set a deadline of December for Entergy and
the power companies to come to agreement; legislative leaders later
moved that deadline to Feb. 18 if Entergy wanted a vote this year on
the license extension.
Klein agreed with Douglas that a deal still could be struck in
time to allow lawmakers to vote this year. But he said there doesn't
appear to be much progress.
"There are no negotiations currently happening. None," Klein
said. "I have the utilities on the record that they haven't had a
formal negotiation with this plant since last fall."
Jay Thayer, Entergy's vice president for operations, told Klein's
committee this week that he expected to have a new offer for the
utilities within a few days.
Vermont Yankee spokesman Robert Williams said Thursday that plant
officials were hopeful they can get to a deal on the price of power
soon.
"We're working diligently through that process," he said in an
e-mail to The Associated Press. "We must ensure that the agreement on
the long-term price of our product supports a business case that we
can live with for the long term."