Thursday, November 15, 2012

Public Service Board Interactive Hearing on November 19

People lining up to sign up to speak at Nov 7 hearing
Note the Vermont Yankee green stickers!

The Public Service Board Hearing on November 7

The Public Service Board (PSB) held only one in-person hearing on Vermont Yankee, in Vernon Vermont on November 7.  The hearing was a triumph for Vermont Yankee supporters, because supporters outnumbered plant opponents and the supporters gave excellent testimony. I have almost a dozen guest posts of their testimony.

The Future: November 19

The PSB is holding one more hearing, not in person, but by interactive TV.  This hearing will be easier to attend, but it probably won't get as much publicity. However, nuclear opponent web sites talk about setting up their phone banks to get attendance for this interactive hearing. We need to have supporter voices heard, too!

This is how it will happen. There are interactive-TV studios in many places in Vermont.  On Monday November 19, at 7 p.m, hearings will begin at the interactive TV studios. Come early to sign up to speak!

The interactive TV studios are at:

Bennington--Senior Citizen's Service Center, 124 Pleasant Street
Brattleboro--Brattleboro Union High School, 131 Fairground Road, Room 125
Johnson--Johnson State College, Bentley Hall, Room 211
Lyndonville---Lyndon State College, 1001 College Road
Middlebury--Hannaford Career Center, 51 Chalres Avenue, 2nd Floor
Newport---North Country Union High School, 209 Veterans Avenue
Randolph Center--Vermont Technical College, VIT Studio, Morrill Hall
Rutland---Stafford Technical Center, 8 Stratton Road, Room 108
Springfield--Howard Dean Education Center, 307 South Street, 2nd Floor
St. Albans--Bellows Free Academy, 4 Hospital Drive
White River Junction--Community College of Vermont, 149 Billings Farm Road
Williston--Blair Park, 351 Lawrence Place

If you live in Vermont, there is surely a studio near you. Attend if you can.   Here's the PSB docket with the information on the hearings.

What Shall I Say?

When you go to the hearing, you should say why you support Vermont Yankee. Jobs, environment, economic contributions, general pro-nuclear statements...whatever you feel is your reason for support. This blog has many posts with testimony from previous hearings. Their reasons are different, but the conclusions are the same: The Public Service Board should issue a Certificate of Public Good for 20 more years of Vermont Yankee operation.

You will be limited to two or three minutes.  Just a few paragraphs or talking points will fill all your time. Preparing your statement should not be too difficult.  It is also possible that there will be many attendees and you will not get a chance to speak.  If this happens, you can email your statements to the PSB later. You can contact the PSB here. Be sure to mention Docket 7862.

The Past and the Future

The Vermont energy future can be buying power from out of state (including nuclear power) and laying off hundreds of people.  It can be greenhouse gases and acid gases from fossil fuels.

Or it can be continuing to have in-state jobs and  a clean power supply.  Come to the hearing to support nuclear power and Vermont Yankee.





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