Sen. Bernie Sanders Blocks William Ostendorff's NRC Nomination Over Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Lawsuit

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) says he is blocking Senate confirmation of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee because the agency asked the Department of Justice to intervene in a lawsuit between the state of Vermont and the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, which the state wants closed.

Sanders says he has placed a hold on the nomination of NRC nominee William Ostendorff.

He said the NRC "voted secretly" two weeks ago to recommend that the Justice Department become involved in a lawsuit between Vermont and Entergy, Vermont Yankee's owner. "What the NRC did demonstrates poor judgment," he said.

Sanders said last year the Vermont state Senate voted 26-4 not to extend the license of Vermont Yankee. The power plant's initial 40-year license expires next March.

Comments

[professor]

02:09 AM on 08/20/2011

http://my.firedoglake.com/gregglevine/2011/08/19/the-party-line-%e2%80%93-august-19-2011-japan-nuclear-crisis-continues-highlighting-more-potential-dangers-in-us/

A nice summary of all the things wrong with the ongoing neverending Fukushima crisis as well as all of the incompetence, graft, and face-saving that goes on--which is the real problem with nuclear power anywhere: even if nuclear power were good, which it isn't, the human beings who run it would not be up to the task, prone as they are to scroying up.

[MosesDidItBest]

10:13 AM on 08/18/2011

The agreement is between the company and the state. The state senate has already made a determination. It is fait accompli. Senator Bernie Sanders is right.

After all the corruption exposed during the Deepwater Gulf oil spill we discovered how corrupt that agency was and that they were literally sleeping with the industry. Given the degree of corruption there, is it possible that lightning strikes twice?

How deep does this go?

[nirek]

10:15 AM on 06/30/2011

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110629/NEWS07/106290302/S-P-downgrades-credit-rating-Entergy-Corp

The only way to beat the Corporations is to hit their pocketbook!

[rayinprague]

05:12 AM on 06/30/2011

I looked the plant up, and it is the same basic design as the Fukushima plants -- GE Mark 1. They should really look the design over before relicensing it now that we know what can go wrong with that model.

[nirek]

07:18 AM on 06/30/2011

Fanned.
Read this story about collusion between the NRC and Entergy the owner of VY.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/06/29/dewalt-why-a-thinking-person-should-question-the-nrc/#comment-16055

The resident NRC safety inspector at Vermont Yankee is a former Entergy employee!
To me that is outrageous and collusion!

[ABACADABRA RABBIT]

01:40 AM on 06/30/2011

Bernie is on the Tom Hartman radio program every Friday. It is called "Brunch with Bernie." Check it out!

[nirek]

07:20 AM on 06/30/2011

Thom Hartman is a good guy and I listen often on Fridays because of Bernie.
Bernie just makes sense.
I fanned you for the post promoting Bernie.

[Genders]

05:01 PM on 06/29/2011

Go Bernie!

The problem is Rahm and Axelrod both lobbied for the nuclear power industry. Chu's officials DOE report uses 1993 solar and green energy costs versus 2016 future fantasy supplied by the fossil and nuke companies. The Obama admin sold nuclear power tech to S America the week following the Japan disaster!

The fix is in.

Vote for the Progressive Caucus in the primaries and the Dems in the general. (and of course Bernie!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Leadership_Council
http://www.dlc.org/

Versus the Real Progressives, the Liberals, the Progressive Caucus
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/
Read their budget! It's the only one that solves the problems.

[epochme]

11:41 AM on 06/29/2011

more proof that there really is no such thing as the rule of law in America... and hopey changey Obama is doing nothing but extending the bush dictatorship...

[ABACADABRA RABBIT]

01:36 AM on 06/30/2011

you are officially not brainwashed.

:D

[jestermine]

11:35 AM on 06/29/2011

ASK FOR SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS TO BE A GUEST ON :
***************************************************************************
Face the Nation: Carin Pratt, (202)-457-4481, ftn at cbsnews.com

Meet the Press: Iliana Drimmer, (202)-885-4598, ilana.drimmer at nbcuni.com

This Week: [phone] (push 5 and address your message to Rick Kaplan, executive producer of This Week)

State of the Union: Michelle Jaconi, (404)-827-1500, michelle.jaconi at turner.com

[nirek]

11:46 AM on 06/29/2011

Awesome idea!

[ABACADABRA RABBIT]

01:36 AM on 06/30/2011

x2

[nirek]

07:17 AM on 06/29/2011

http://vtdigger.org/2011/06/24/entergy-state-go-head-to-head-in-federal-court-over-injunction-request/#comment-15975

Yet another story about the VY plant.

[Sha Zam]

05:35 PM on 06/28/2011

Our government is lying about nuclear power plants. Check out this crazy video posted a few days ago about the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8ZoZwS2qck

[termgirl]

04:03 PM on 06/28/2011

We need more people like Senator Bernie Sanders in this world.

[rich misty]

04:13 PM on 06/28/2011

There are a lot of them.  We need to put more into responsible positions in government.

[CaptD]

04:20 PM on 06/28/2011

FORGET Dem & Rep. Labels
Vote for the Greening of America

[nirek]

07:23 AM on 06/30/2011

Got this one this morning and thought you would like it.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/06/29/dewalt-why-a-thinking-person-should-question-the-nrc/#comment-16055

Resident NRC safety inspector = former Entergy employee!

[HLL]

03:54 PM on 06/28/2011

Thank you, Senator Sanders, for fighting for No Nukes! â˜®

FYI, a wonderful letter from Senator Sanders:
http://www.bernie.org/

[CaptD]

03:40 PM on 06/28/2011

Please email Senator Sanders and wish him well from all of US!
http://sanders.senate.gov/contact/

[rich misty]

03:28 PM on 06/28/2011

What more proof does America need to see that the NRC is a captured agency of the nuclear industry? 

The NRC says and does what ever the nuclear lobby tells them to do.  This agency is lying about safety, not representing the interests of American citizens.

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/05/every-nuclear-regulator-is-captured-by.html

[CaptD]

03:32 PM on 06/28/2011

Just like TEPCO re-electing its own Board after this debacle...

[CaptD]

03:33 PM on 06/28/2011

Bernie and Barbara are a ray of sunlight on this dark secret!

[termgirl]

04:10 PM on 06/28/2011

I met Barbara last summer.
While not perfect. she is far better than most US Senators.

[nirek]

06:55 AM on 06/29/2011

I have known Bernie for years and voted for him every time he has run!
I am on a list and get email from him regularly. Bernie is almost always correct. (actually I have not known him to be wrong yet)

[NoMoreNukes2012]

03:27 PM on 06/28/2011

Thank you Sen.Sanders for all your work in this area.
END NUCLEAR POWER TODAY!

[ABACADABRA RABBIT]

01:38 AM on 06/30/2011

f&f