Vermont Yankee is an Asset to Vermont, and the Sky Is Not Falling: Deb Schulze Guest Post

Deb Schulze

My name is Deb Schulze.  I am a Vermont native and live in North Springfield.

I am speaking tonight in favor of granting Vermont Yankee a Certificate of Public Good.

Vermont Yankee provides safe, clean and reliable electric power.

I have observed with increasing skepticism the tactics of VY’s opponents.  These folks are trying to scare everyone into believing this plant is old and broken down, and that just is not true.

VY is like most any business, it is continually maintained and upgraded and it is also carefully monitored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Vermont Yankee has saved more than 50 million tons of carbon and other pollutants from being released into the environment.

We now live in a world of big plasma televisions, electric cars and a whole host of electronic gadgets. Our need for electricity is continually increasing.  Closing down Vermont’s largest producer of electricity (two-thirds of the in-state generation) makes absolutely no sense.

Vermont Yankee, along with and its employees and contractors provides more than $100 million per year, into both the local and state economy.  Taxes and payments to the state account for nearly $15 million.

2011, Entergy Vermont Yankee contributed approximately $435 thousand to the community through Entergy open grants, the Entergy Charitable Foundation, site sponsorships, and annual events.  This amount includes Vermont Yankee employee pledges/company match to the tune of $109,000 to the United Way.

The sky is not falling.  Through all of the negativism generated by the anti-nuke activists, Vermont Yankee has been quietly and continuously producing safe, clean, reliable power for over 40 years.

I hope you will grant it a certificate of public good so that it can continue to do so.

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Deb Schulze spoke at the Interactive TV hearing about Vermont Yankee on November 19.  Her husband, Bill Schulze, works at Vermont Yankee.  She was kind enough to share her testimony and provide this picture.

I plan to keep posting pro-VY testimony to my blog, as I can do so.  I have about twenty guest posts of testimony so far, but approximately fifty people made public statements in favor of Vermont Yankee at the two hearings.  I think the individual voices are strong, and the sum of the voices is truly powerful.  So I will keep posting them!