(Host) The Douglas administration says Entergy Vermont Yankee has done nothing in recent weeks to recover from the storm of controversy swirling around the company.
Public Service Commissioner David O’Brien told lawmakers that Entergy has not taken steps to repair its reputation or improve its operations.
(O’Brien) "Based on what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think they do get it. Based on what they’ve done so far, I don’t think they’ve earned your vote. Anyone who’s sort of on the fence, they haven’t earned it. They haven’t earned mine. And as I’ve told senior Entergy official yesterday who visited my office, they have a whole lot of work to do and it’d better be miraculous."
(Host) Governor Jim Douglas has asked the Legislature to put off a decision on whether Yankee should be allowed to operate for an additional 20 years.
That came after the company conceded it had not given accurate information to state regulators, legislators and others about the existence of underground pipes carrying radioactive material.
Since then, radioactive tritium has been found in monitoring wells at the plant site. The company is still trying to find the source of the tritium.
Entergy has reassigned one of its top executives in Vermont and placed him on administrative leave while it investigates how the misleading information was given to the state.
O’Brien says that’s not enough to restore confidence in the plant or the company.