The Vermont House this week is expected to debate another effort to get the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to shore up its decommissioning fund.
Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed such a bill last year, but lawmakers say they want to try again to make sure Vermont electric ratepayers or taxpayers don’t end up paying the costs of dismantling the Vernon reactor when it shuts down.
Both Vermont Yankee owner Entergy Nuclear and the Douglas administration say the bill would improperly change the agreement the state had with Entergy when the company bought Vermont Yankee in 2002.
A bill approved by a House committee would require Entergy to make four payments into the fund of nearly $115 million each during the next decade.