[Northeast-earth-first] Yankee protesters make a stink at PSB

Fri Nov 7 21:38:27 GMT 2008

hey ya'all heres a little press coverage. times argus and the rutland herald ran the article below the press release.
a pretty good photo too (www.timesargus.com) .. i've been working on damage control tryin to cut the spinsters off. i just got this leditor printed(cept they removed all my exlaimation points!!! fuckers!). wahoo1
thanks ya'all. 
talk to you soon, erok.

No compromise in defense of mother earth!!!

ps. if anyone wants to send in letters to the editor!
pps. lump lets get those articles together yeah? i'll try n reach the journal and find out a deadline.
peace.

2 articles:
Press Release from Green Mountain EarthFirst!
Times Argus article follows
no compromise on yankee letter to editor.>
>
> Environmentalists Demand Certificate of 'No-Good' For Vermont Yankee>> Demanding the closure of Vermont Yankee, A group calling themselves Green Mountain EarthFirst! challenged the Vermont Public Service board at their State Street office in Montpelier Monday morning. Dressed as elves and Santa Claus, the group entered the office insisting that the Public Service Board (PSB) revoke Entergy Vermont Yankee's certificate of the public good and instead sign a large cardboard certificate of the "public bad". "We've talked with Santa Claus and clearly Entergy Nuclear has been up to no good." Said one of the elves entering the office. The group held photographs of Vermont Yankee's 2007 cooling tower collapse and 2004 transformer fire as well as giant banner reading 'Do the public a service, close VT. Yankee!'>> While the Vermont Public Service Board considers granting Entergy Nuclear a Certificate of the Public Good to continue operating the 30-year-old Vernon reactor until 2032, many Vermonters question the reliability, safety and costs associated with clean up. " Due to accidents, leaks and decay Entergy is regularly having to power down, decontaminate workers and scramble to keep a clean image in the media. They want to keep this kind of behavior going for another 25 years! We say no way!" exclaimed Bill Smith, an impassioned Vermonter at the demonstration.
>> In an effort to receive a twenty-year license extension, Entergy is claiming that it will not have the money to pay to pay for decommissioning the plant until 2026. According to Green Mt. Earthfirst!er Erik Gillard " Entergy is leading us on. They haven't given a penny to the decommissioning fund since they bought the place, yet they're promising $60 million twenty years down the road. They're trying to bribe the state to renew the license." Earlier this month, Entergy said the decommissioning fund was valued at $397 million, that's $43 million short of where the fund stood before the stock market fell in October. "And the bribe isn't guaranteed!" Gillard adds.>> The Public Service Board refused to sign the group's 'certificate of public no good' and was met with a blizzard of 'styrofoam snow'. "Bad decisions around this issue have brought the PSB an early and cold nuclear winter." said one demonstrator. Concerned about possible toxicity the PSB called the Fire Department to clean up the fake snow. "if they are worried about potentially hazardous substances they ought to close VT Yankee. That place dumps radioactive waste on Vermont land daily." said Gillard.>> When asked about the event, the man posing as Santa Claus responded, "Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee is dangerous, dirty and out of control. They've been lying and cheating Vermont for years. They are on the bad list and deserve a certificate of the public no-good. The PSB needs to know-ho-ho this.">

Yankee protesters make a stink at PSBNovember 4, 2008By Thatcher Moats Times Argus StaffMONTPELIER - Protesters dumped material that had been soaked in urine - or a similar smelling substance - in the offices of the Vermont Public Service Board yesterday, prompting an evacuation of parts of the building, according to police and fire officials.About 15 to 20 protesters entered the office on the fourth floor of the Chittenden Bank building on State Street to protest the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, officials said.The group made demands of a secretary, handing her something to sign, said Montpelier Police Sgt. Neil Martel. When she would not sign, they dumped material on the floor that smelled of urine, Martel said. The material seemed to be some type of foam packing material, said Montpelier Fire Chief Gesualdo Schneider.The fourth floor and most of the third floor were evacuated, said Schneider, but the fire department quickly determined that the material was not hazardous.Schneider said they spoke with protesters through a third party, and were told that the material was not dangerous. In addition, some protesters had their children with them when the material was dumped, which also indicated it wasn't hazardous, Schneider said.Montpelier Police Chief Anthony Facos said the activity amounted to unlawful mischief or disorderly conduct, but Martel said no one has been charged with a crime and police will not continue their investigation."There is no further investigation at this point," Martel said.Martel said the people who actually dumped the material were at the back of the group, so no one in the Public Service Board office was able to identify them. There is also no video of the incident, he said.The fact that the protesters are seeking the spotlight also played into the decision not to keep investigating, Martel said."It's a fine line; they're looking for attention," said Martel.Protesters handed out reading material that said the group was named Green Mountain Earth First! and was rallying against the "unsafe conditions at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power reactor and to petition the public service board to revoke Entergy's Certificate of Public Good."The 36-year-old nuclear power plant is located in Vernon, and the owner of the plant, Entergy Nuclear, is seeking a 20-year extension on its license, which is set to expire in 2012.The Vermont Public Service Board is responsible for regulatory oversight of power plants in the state, including the Vernon plant.Problems with the plant's cooling towers along with a recent evacuation due to increased radiation levels has prompted public concern about the safety of the plant.

No compromise on YankeeNovember 6, 2008 

While some may argue that EarthFirst activists created undo expenses, or were inconsiderate at their Monday protests in Montpelier, one must take a look at the bigger issues.On Monday morning, the Vermont Public Service Board felt the fear of living with potentially hazardous materials (fake snow that smelled). Consider the fear associated with going to elementary school in Vernon, not half a mile from 600 tons of deadly toxic nuclear waste. If clean-up of the protest cost $800, that is one-millionth of the projected $800 million it will cost Vermont taxpayers to clean up Vermont Yankee. The silly prank played by EarthFirst gave the PSB a mere taste of the magnitude of its decision whether to keep Vermont Yankee open.The PSB is charged with making a mammoth decision that will affect the lives of millions throughout the Northeast and beyond. From toxic mining to toxic waste, the choice for nuclear power cannot comfortably be made by bureaucrats sitting cozy in an office on the fourth floor. To choose to continue operating Vermont Yankee is to choose 20 more years of deadly nuclear waste creation, 20 more years of radiation release, rising Connecticut River temperatures, inevitable and possibly catastrophic accidents, rising clean-up costs put on the backs of taxpayers, and 20 more years of ecological destruction. All for what? To continue electrifying the most wasteful lifestyles on the planet?We live in an age of mass extinction, climate chaos and ecological collapse. We cannot continue to pander to the greed of billion-dollar corporations like Entergy Nuclear. Nor wait for bureaucracy to decide if we should continue to destroy the life systems of the planet. We must close Vermont Yankee now. No compromise in defense of Mother Earth.Erik GillardEast Calais
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