The Vermont Senate voted 26-4 on Wednesday against a bill that could have allowed the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to operate for another 20 years. The bill’s death in the Senate means that the Public Service Board is not authorized to rule on whether Vermont Yankee’s license should be extended past 2012, when the plant is scheduled to be decommissioned. We’ll discuss what the Senate’s action means for the long-term future of Vermont Yankee with VPR’s John Dillon, who’s covered the story extensively, and Michael Dworkin, a former chair of the Public Service Board and head of Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment. Listen
Also in the program, the Vermont Air Guard base at the Burlington airport is one of 10 sites around the country being considered as a home for the new fleet of F-35 fighter planes being developed by the Department of Defense. Brigadier General Steve Cray, assistant adjutant general for the Vermont Guard, explains why the Vermont Air Guard wants these planes, and responds to some of the community criticism about noise and environmental impact. Listen