Seven women were arrested on trespassing charges Monday while protesting a proposed power increase for Etergy's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The women were charged with unlawful trespass and then released.
The women were ordered to not cross the police tape or go onto Entergy's lawn. They did so at about 11 a.m., after an hour of speeches in the parking lot across the road where they and supporters were permitted to protest. Protesters made demands for legislative action, a switch from nuclear energy to alternative energy sources, and an evacuation plan in Massachusetts towns like Gill and Wendall, located just outside the 10-mile radius zone from Vermont Yankee. The federal government requires the power plant to alert towns within a 10-mile radius of an emergency.
"We living in Massachusetts are subject to the pollution downwind, but we have no say," said Sally Shaw, who lives in Gill, Mass.
Sally Shaw, 49, of Gill, Mass., said she and the others were protesting because they felt shut out of the regulatory process as federal and state agencies consider if Vermont Yankee can boost its power production. “There’s a lot of frustration because many of us feel we have been left out of the process," Shaw said. "And all we could do is utilize our right to speak the truth on our own terms."
Protesters had requested to speak to Entergy officials, but were denied.
Shaw told Barre Montpelier Times Argus the she hopes legislators in Massachusetts and Vermont press for the development of renewable energy. She also criticized the NRC — a federal agency that she dubbed the "Nuclear Advocacy Council" — for allegedly bowing to industry demands. "The process is broken and rigged and we are tired of the pretense," she said.
Sunny Miller, executive director of the Traprock Peace Center in Deerfield, Mass., told the Brattleboro Reformer the protest was a form of "direct action." And, even at the risk of arrest, protesters wanted to communicate concerns about the Vernon reactor. "We are organizing appeals and demands directly to the decision-makers operating this facility," Miller said.
Amongst concerns cited in an open letter to Congressman John Olver are:
*A 20% power increase, even accomplished in two steps, is an extreme uprate. Most uprates have been accomplished in smaller steps and been for a smaller increase.
• An increase in power output requires more steam/water to be passed through the system at a faster rate; this subjects all components to greatly increased stresses and vibrations. These effects can lead to making parts break off or to breaking of pipes which can cause major malfunctions in the rest of the power station.
• Operation under uprate shortens time available for operator response and increases the likelihood of a malfunction due to operator error.
• The limited inspection review provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was inadequate. Information and analyses provided by Entergy were incomplete and inadequate. Vermont state legislator Steve Darrow said that Entergy gave evasive answers to questions asked. He testified at Vermont Public Service Board hearing that Entergy is gaming the process.
• The recent fueling of the nuclear reactor with more highly enriched uranium in advance of completion of the uprate approval process and prior to a ruling by the Vermont Public Service Board on the acceptability of the inspection report is unacceptable.
• Instead of providing a comprehensive analysis of the ability of components to handle the increased stresses, the NRC is proposing to allow Entergy to stress test components during the process of ramping up the power level. We hold that such an experimental approach to assessing the operation represents an irresponsible approach and an unacceptable risk.
• David Lochbaum of the Union of Concerned Scientists said that such experiments belong in a laboratory, not in communities.
• We are aware that similar uprates at other reactors of this type have caused costly shutdowns due to potentially dangerous steam dryer cracking and valve jamming. Cracks are known to exist in VY’s steam dryers, which are identical to the Quad Cities unit that failed in Illinois.
• In addition, the Entergy request to run the ENVY reactor at containment overpressure is a potentially dangerous and operationally confusing condition that puts the public at risk.
• It may be seen that in addition to safety concerns, the power uprate will reduce the reliability of existing power production at the reactor.
• We are concerned to read in the March 22, 2005 Federal Register that Entergy is no longer reequired to report annual occupational radiation exposure for its workers. This suggests relaxation of safety standards for public and workers alike at a time when risks of harm are heightened by the uprate.
Sources: Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont), Open Letter to Congressman John Olver, Boston Globe, Barre Montpelier Times Argus (Vermont)
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