(Host) Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine says he has yet to be convinced that it is a good idea to sell the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to an out of state energy company. Speaking last night on VPR’s Switchboard, Racine says he has two major concerns about the proposal to sell Vermont Yankee to the Entergy Corporation:
(Racine) "One is the impact on consumers. We’re hearing both sides on this, that it’s going to be a benefit to consumers or it’s going to commit consumers to long-term costs. I don’t know what the right answer to that is. The other issue is safety. Right now we have a very spotty record at Vermont Yankee on safety issues. The folks at the federal level who regulate these issues are concerned about the safety record at Vermont Yankee. I want to make sure that in whatever deal we come up with, whether it’s sold or it’s not sold, that we find a way to improve the safety at Vermont Yankee and make sure that the state has the responsibility and the authority to regulate safety at that plant. Some will argue that the sale is a good deal, some will argue that it’s not. I need to be convinced that it is."
(Host) The proposed sale of Vermont Yankee is being reviewed by the Vermont Public Service Board.