Challenging Those Who Celebrate Vermont Yankee's Closing

Envy

Nuclear Opponents Celebrate Plant Closing

Vermont Yankee opponents are celebrating the announcement that the plant will close in 2014. Their celebrations make it appear that everyone is happy with this outcome.  In my opinion, nuclear supporters must be honest, visible and upfront with our feelings:  We are not happy that the plant is closing. We know that Vermont Yankee's closing is a bad thing for the state of Vermont.

Here comes the party

The day that Entegy announced the plant shutdown, my local newspaper called me for a quote. They interviewed me and Howard Shaffer, and they interviewed plant opponents.

The Valley News put the article on the front page: Vermont Yankee Opponents Cheer, Supporters Lament.  The article started with an opponent's reaction: When Sharon resident Nina Swaim heard the news Tuesday morning, she was so excited that she screamed. The article ended with more of the opponent's reaction:  First, though, Swaim said, “I just think we all should party for a while.”

Howard and I are well-represented in that article: as a matter of fact, the pull-quote on the front page was from me. But the article started and ended with the opponents' celebrations.

Count me out of the party

Jack Gamble and his wife work at Oyster Creek in New Jersey.  Opponents have tried hard to shut that plant down, and they have partially succeeded.  Oyster Creek is scheduled to close in less than ten years, despite having a NRC license good through 2029.

Jack saw the Valley News article (I had linked to it on Facebook) and he wrote a letter to Valley News: Count Me Out of the Party. His letter starts: About 600 people will lose their jobs, and Nina Swaim is throwing a party...The entire town of Vernon is about to be devastated. Restaurants, retailers and every other local business just lost 600 customers. The same is going to happen to our town of Forked River. But Swaim is going to party... I urge you to link to Gamble's letter and read it.

A few days later, the Valley News published a letter by Brian Cain: Where the Blame Belongs.   Cain started by listing Three Mile Island, Fukushima, etc.  He referred to Gamble's letter, and he finished his own letter with comments that I consider snarky: The world is moving toward safe, clean, sustainable energy, and nukes are not part of that equation. Good luck to you (Gamble) in your job hunt. I don’t have a job either, but I am going to the party.

(Actually, of course, Gamble has a job now, but will lose it when the plant closes. Cain equates "will lose our jobs" with "don't have a job."  Oh, I am SUCH a nit-picker!)

The party expands by adding quotation marks

Chad Simmons volunteers with an anti-Vermont-Yankee  activist campaign.  He was offended that some people have said that activists are insensitive when they gloat over Vermont Yankee closing. In The Commons, Simmons wrote a letter titled On Joy and Justice. To give him credit, he tackles the jobs question straight up:

Chicken Dance

THE “JOBS” ARGUMENT is, in my opinion, a fear-mongering ploy by the wealthy to scare communities into submission......Do Entergy “jobs” make our lives better and its “charitable giving” add to the sustainability and happiness of our communities?

Well, maybe not straight-up.  There are those quotation marks...

Cheryl Twarog, a Vermont Yankee supporter and wife of a long-term employee, wrote several good comments at the end of Simmon's letter.  I urge you to read them.

Answering the Gloaters and Party-Goers

In politics: "A Charge Un-Answered is a Charge Believed."  If  someone is accused and doesn't answer, then people think the accusation is true.

In my opinion, it is the same with the party-goers. If people are celebrating and we don't say anything about it, we are implying their celebrations are appropriate.

We should point out that the people-who-party are enjoying the misfortunes of others. Yes, these people are under the impression that they, personally, will be far safer if these others suffer misfortune (Chernobyl! Fukushima!). They are still enjoying the misfortune of others.

Rebuttals

Two people have written very effective rebuttals to the gloaters.

Cheryl Twarog wrote two excellent letters.  In No High Fives, she answered Simmons directly, in The Commons:  The reality of impending job losses is anything but fear-mongering in any VY household at the moment. Perhaps it is Simmons’ sense of reality that is skewed.

In The Sentinel and other newspapers, she wrote: Vermont Yankee Workers are Great.
Thank you for remembering what is important, even at a time like this, when so many are jubilantly celebrating the impending job losses.

You continue to go to work each day with the safe operation of the plant as your top priority, shutting out the ignorance of others. You are a highly skilled, dedicated and caring group of people, and you deserve all of the good that can come your way.Wishing each one of you the best. 

At Canadian Energy Issues, Steve Aplin described the situation: Jobs and livelihoods destroyed, lives disrupted, increasing carbon emissions: an anti-nuke's life's work.  Aplin writes about the difficulties of being unemployed in this economy. Aplin references Gamble's letter, and adds about his own experience attempting to protect union jobs against a government policy that would eliminate them:

In my initial discussions with the new union clients I sensed a quiet, very restrained, but palpable anger about the policy they had asked for advice opposing...I put everything I had into that case, and my client succeeded in at least delaying the implementation of the policy. What struck me throughout...was the callousness, on the part of those who supported and continue to support that policy, toward the thousands of people who will lose their jobs because of it.  I am supposed to be a brass-balled consultant, providing objective advice...But...I found it difficult to be detached about people who would soon be dealing with unemployment.

Party-Time Rhetoric

In my opinion, we must combat the "party time" rhetoric just as we have combated the "huge-dangers" rhetoric.

In the case of party-time, the opponents can give the impression that everyone is dancing in the streets about the Entergy announcement. There's no street-dancing and no high-fives, except among the dedicated opponents.  Nuclear supporters must continue to express our sadness that Vermont Yankee is closing.  We must continue to express our knowledge that Vermont Yankee and its employees were a great asset to the southern Vermont communities, and indeed, to the whole state.

The Sin of Envy

Envy

I cannot know the motivations of the people who oppose Vermont Yankee.  However, I do know that the median income in Windham County is $41K, and in Vermont as a whole it is $53K  (see my previous post on A Poor Area Will Become Poorer.)  In contrast, the average salary at Vermont Yankee is usually stated as "around $90K."

Envy is one of the motivations of some (many?) of the opponents.  I know my evidence for this is anecdotal evidence, but the stories are also true. I think some (but not all) plant opponents are at least partially motivated by envy.

In Dante's Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low (from Wikipedia). If you prefer a more modern word than envy, Schadenfreude means basically the same thing.

Yankee Rowe and the Soul of a Nuclear Worker

An Invitation

About two weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion. This panel is happening tonight in Brattleboro. The Commons of Brattleboro is sponsoring the panel, which is titled:

The path toward a post-nuclear economy.  Life After Vermont Yankee: What's next?

I was unable to be  on the panel, because I had a conflict tonight.  I write more about the panel, near the end of this post.

A Panel Member: Dr. John R. Mullin

Of course, I was curious about the panel, though I couldn't attend.  I studied the short descriptions of the panel members. (Double-click on the announcement to do the same.)

One name on the panel was new to me: John R. Mullin.   He is a professor at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has an impressive Curriculum Vitae. On the panel description, he was listed as: a co-author of the 1997 paper “The Closing of the Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Plant: The Impact on a New England Community.”  With a short search, I easily found both his paper  and a recent interview with him on Radio Boston: Lessons From the Closing of Mass. Nuclear Plant.

Economics and Property Values

I agreed with many of the statements that Mullin made on the radio program. He acknowledged that closing the plant has a  huge economic impact, and similar jobs do not exist in the areas near the plant.  On the other hand, he claims that property values fall because people are living "in the shadow of a (decommissioned) nuke."

Hmm...everybody was living in the "shadow of" a working nuke before!  It is clear to me, despite my lack of a Ph.D. in urban planning, that when a plant is decommissioned, property values fall because high-paying jobs go away. Property values don't fall because the dry casks are still at the site.  If the casks were at the site but the plant was operating and lots of workers were on-site...property values wouldn't fall.  Well, that is my opinion anyway.  In Mullin's opinion, the big question is: "Would you want to be living within the shadow of a nuke?" (From the Boston Radio interview.)

The Soul of the Nuclear Workers

Near the end of the 1997 paper on the Closing of Yankee Rowe is a section called Future Prospects for Dismissed Employees.  This section notes that  "There are simply no jobs in Rowe that match their skills, nor any local plants where pride of work is so high." Employees that remain in the town can expect jobs with less pay and less status.  That is all true, and it is sad.

However, some of section seems to reflect some schadenfreude on the part of the authors of the paper. It seems to have a little sneaking joy in other people's misfortunes.  Here's the quote that annoys me:

What is especially different at Rowe, however, is the degree of alienation likely for those who stay. Rowe and its neighboring communities were dominated by YAEC, and most employees seemed to think the plant would last forever. From this lofty situation to "just a job" is a real comedown. The decline in status will be particularly difficult because for years the Yankee employees often were regarded with some jealousy.

"Just a job," huh?  Working at a nuclear power plant is "just a job" and the workers just recently found that out?   When I read about the "real comedown" for the workers, it seemed to me to be mean-spirited.  But worse; it  missed the point!

The Motivations of the Soul

Firefighters from Wikipedia

This quote shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the motivations of certain types of workers: nuclear workers, utility workers, fire-fighters, police, doctors, nurses, paramedics.  From my own knowledge of such workers,  they don't see it as "just a job."  These types of jobs all have requirements above and beyond the nine-to-five jobs in offices and factories.  This work keeps the lights on (day and night), keeps people safe (day and night), saves lives (day and night).

In most places, work of this type is accorded high status because people acknowledge the necessity of this work to keep the community safe.  People also acknowledge the sacrifice that such work can demand. (Hail to those who carry pagers!)

Of course, these jobs are also a way to earn a living.  Everybody has to earn a living.  But many people who hold these jobs think of them as a calling. For example, my husband's family includes three generations  of fire-fighters.

Man's Search for Meaning.  Working in a nuclear plant is a "job" with the gift of meaning.

Vermont Yankee Workers by Cheryl Twarog

Let's end on a high note here, with a more upbeat quote! Cheryl Twarog, wife of a long-time Vermont Yankee employee, wrote this letter to the editor, which is appearing in several local newspapers: Vermont Yankee Workers are Great.  Quotes from her letter are below:

Thank you for being the greatest group of people John has ever worked with.....

Thank you for remembering what is important, even at a time like this, when so many are jubilantly celebrating the impending job losses...You continue to go to work each day with the safe operation of the plant as your top priority, shutting out the ignorance of others. You are a highly skilled, dedicated and caring group of people, and you deserve all of the good that can come your way.Wishing each one of you the best.

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More about the Panel

When the panel organizers  asked me to be on the panel, my first question was: "Can you hold it a night OTHER than Wednesday night?"  Well, they couldn't. I have a conflict tonight and cannot attend.  It is important to me to share that I was asked, however. When I put the panel announcement on the Save Vermont Yankee Facebook page, there were comments to the effect that most of the people on the panel had never supported continued operation of the plant.  So I need to state for the record that I am not on the panel because I had a conflict today, not because they didn't want me.

Here's the announcement of the panel in The Commons. The event is coordinated by journalist and Commons contributor Leah McGrath Goodman and her associate, Morgan Milazzo.  I am grateful for the invitation.

Alas, I know that Guy Page of VTEP (a frequent guest blogger on this blog) also had a conflict.  I know this because he emailed me and the organizers, and the organizers immediately asked me if I could try to manage to attend. I couldn't.  I am disappointed that Guy won't be on the panel, but since I can't be there, there is nothing I can do about it.   

Mellow Meeting of NRC in Brattleboro

Low Attendance, Mellow Meeting

Last night's NRC meeting about Vermont Yankee was relatively mellow.  The meeting took place at Brattleboro High School, and was lightly attended.  The first part of the meeting was a science-fair set up, in which people talked and looked at exhibits. As  you can tell by the two pictures, there weren't many people there.

As they did last year, the Shut It Down Affinity Group (aka Raging Grannies) came in again, wearing costumes and masks. Once again, they walked single file around the room.  I hope you can tell (despite my lousy photography) that they were wearing tie-dyed shirts and wore masks of former NRC commissioner Jaczko.

Later, when the more formal presentation was supposed to start, the women once again stood behind the NRC people. The women refused to sit down, and delayed the start of the meeting. They read long letters and repeated quotes from Jaczko about how all nuclear plants must be shut down.

However, unlike last year, the crowd did not swarm up and surround the NRC people in solidarity with them. (There wasn't much of a crowd, anyway.) So the Jaczko impersonators  eventually sat down and the meeting proceeded.

Vignettes from the meeting

Being Friendly: During the open house, Cheryl Twarog (plant supporter), Mike Mulligan (plant opponent) and myself had a very friendly and upbeat conversation about children, the Navy, where we grew up, high school experiences, and so forth.

Aside: My husband was a baby during WWII, but later served on a destroyer (a "tin can"). I remember urging Cheryl and Mike (both associated with Navy nuclear) to read this book about destroyers in a major battle in WWII --  The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.  I also recommend it to the readers of this blog.

Being Unfriendly:  During the meeting, a woman with a heavy German accent (I don't know her at all) gave the usual anti-Vermont Yankee spiel, including lots of comments about Fukushima.   She ended it with the question: "How did you [addressing the NRC people] ever become so contemptuous of other human beings that you encourage nuclear power?" (I didn't record the question, but this was the gist of it.)  At that point, the NRC people began talking about what happened at Fukushima and what we have learned. She interrupted them to say: "I had ONLY ONE question: how did you became so contemptuous of your fellow human beings?" This woman sure had an advanced case of self-righteousness!

Update: My blog post on the meeting is up at the ANS Nuclear Cafe today: Speaking Out of Turn at the NRC Meeting.  The post is about how I spoke out of turn, and how that helped the meeting get back to order.

Further Reading:

• Annual assessment letter for Vermont Yankee from NRC.  All green.
• NRC announcement of the open house and the annual assessment: includes many links to more detailed information.
• March 2013 Nuclear Performance Monthly from NEI, including this quote: For the third time since 2007, Vermont Yankee ran continuously during 2012 and part of 2013 before shutting down for refueling on March 9 (a 493-day run). The unit also achieved continuous runs during 2006-2007 (547 days) and 2009-2010 (532 days).
• NRC Hears Concerns about Vermont Yankee (article by Susan Smallheer in the Times-Argus).

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One of the people in masks was kind enough to stop and pose while I took a picture, but I did a bad job of taking that picture, and so it isn't on the blog. I apologize.  My camera is old and is getting unreliable.

Proudly Made in America: Guest post by Evan Twarog

Proudly Made in America

Evan Twarog
November 7 Public Service Board meeting

America is the greatest nation on the planet. Period. When we’re out shopping and see those three words “Made in America”, there is a small bit of pride that we get out of knowing we are supporting jobs right here at home. Small mom and pop store or multibillion dollar corporation, an American business is still an American business. The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is run by one of those American businesses, and supports more than 620 jobs right here in our local community.

Many workers who run the facility are veterans who have proudly served our nation in uniform. Some started off in the Coast Guard defending our shores, and saving those who fall into harm’s way. Some started off serving in our nation’s Navy, keeping waters across the world safe from hostile enemies. Some started off protecting the skies in our nation’s Air Force. Still more served in our Army and Marine Corp, defending our freedom both in times of national crisis and war. We must salute these men and women who selflessly defended our nation and are now working in our community.

As the legal battle over Vermont Yankee’s future has played out, there has been a near complete disregard by the State of Vermont to realize the fact that Vermont Yankee supports well-paying AMERICAN jobs, and there is no rational economic reason for shutting down the facility. Governor Shumlin, a long-time critic of the facility, once said “We’re doing all we can so that Vermont can move on from this old plant and move towards an energy future that sends Entergy Louisiana back to Louisiana.” Governor Shumlin, in case you didn’t realize, we are all Americans. We all salute the same flag. We all are part of the same nation. Frankly, I am disgusted by your inability to realize that by shutting down the facility, you will gain nothing but force 620 AMERICANS out of a job.

Vermont Yankee should be a symbol of pride for the community and region. Here, 620 skilled Americans produce clean, cheap, and reliable electricity, while supporting dozens of non-profit organizations with hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations each year. The facility produces power right here in Vermont. Not in Massachusetts. Not in New York. Not in Canada. Vermont. Wouldn’t you rather have your hard-earned money stay local and support local American jobs?

When we buy products with those words “Made in America”, we know we are supporting jobs right here at home in these rough economic times. So why is it that we can’t as a community, as a state, and as Americans, support the Americans who work at Vermont Yankee and are such an integral part of our community?

Evan Twarog, Age 15
112 Ridgewood Ave.
Keene, NH

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Evan Twarog has been an articulate and effective supporter of Vermont Yankee for several years.  This letter also appeared in True North Reports, The Commons, the Brattleboro Reformer, and other local newspapers.

Evan Twarog has two other guest posts at this blog:

• A Teen's View of Vermont Yankee (November 2011) 
• Testimony at the Public Service Board meeting: Vital for the Region and My Family.  (November 2012)

Evan's mother, Cheryl Twarog, testified at the November 2012 hearing and has a guest post at this blog: When Did Nuclear Become a Four-Letter Word?

I am proud to know the Twarog family!

Over 600 Families: Cheryl Twarog Guest Post

Cheryl Twarog

My name is Cheryl Twarog, and I’m proud to say that my husband works at Vermont Yankee.  At Vermont Yankee there are 620 of the most dedicated, hard-working, highly trained individuals you’ll ever meet.  But there’s another chapter in this story that often goes untold.  That’s the story of the Vermont Yankee families:  the moms & dads, husbands & wives, sons & daughters of the employees.

At Vermont Yankee we are 620 families strong.

• That’s 620 families that count on the affordable health insurance that Vermont Yankee provides.
• That’s 620 families that rely on the $65 million in wages paid each year.
• That’s 620 families that worry that we will have to put our homes on the market, find another job in this tough economy, or move our children from the only schools they’ve ever known.
• And that’s 620 families that are holding our breath hoping that you will agree that it’s for the public good that Vermont Yankee be given a certificate for continued operations.

My family is one of the Vermont Yankee families, and we realize just how much we have to lose if Vermont Yankee closes prematurely.  My husband, John, has worked and trained at Vermont Yankee for almost 14 years.  His skills are highly specialized and wouldn’t easily translate to other jobs in the area, making it necessary to pack up our family and move.  There is much that we would miss:
Such as the way the lives of everyone in our family have been enriched by our time spent volunteering for local non-profit organizations.

Or the many opportunities our boys have been blessed with, many of which are unique to the area…

• Like the Keene State Orchestra and Keene Chamber Orchestra welcoming in our 12 year old son, Cam, who lives and breathes the violin.
• Or the highly regarded service organization that has allowed our 15 year old son, Evan, to develop and demonstrate leadership skills, along with his compassion for others. 

Both boys have ambitious goals for their futures.

The simple truth is that much of this is possible because of Vermont Yankee, and our lives would look dramatically different if VY were to close prematurely.  As you work to make your decision I hope you’ll remember that there are 620 families just like ours, who depend on the continued operation of Vermont Yankee.

Thank you for being here tonight and giving us the chance for our  voices to be heard.

Cheryl Twarog and her family made these buttons
You can see many people wearing them at the meeting
(Only some of the buttons had the red background..mostly they were black)

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This is the 17th in a series of posts which share statements made in favor of Vermont Yankee at the Public Service Board hearing on November 7, 2012.

At the hearing, Cheryl spoke directly after Evan spoke, and started her statement with a cheerful: "That's my boy!"

Cheryl Twarog also wrote a guest post on this blog:  When Did Nuclear Become a Four Letter Word?

When Did "Nuclear" Become a Four Letter Word? A guest post by Cheryl Twarog

Cheryl Twarog is the wife of a Vermont Yankee employee. She's holding the THNX VY sign in the picture above, taken at the St. Patrick's Day rally. Twarog wrote this guest post about her recent experiences in energy education.

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At the St. Patrick's Day rally for Vermont Yankee I had a conversation with another mother, who happens to live near the plant. We talked about our firm belief that children should be taught HOW to think, not WHAT to think. We spoke of how we encourage our own children to learn the facts supporting all sides of an issue (yes, even nuclear power) before forming an opinion. It turns out that this was a timely discussion.

Last week an educator from a local utility company made the rounds in the elementary school where I work. She pays a visit each year for the purpose of educating the children about electricity. Topics include energy safety, consumption, conservation, and production. I have a lot of respect for her, as she is always kind, professional, and generous with her time. Every year I listen intently, waiting for her to at least acknowledge the existence of nuclear power. This seems to be one of those inconvenient facts that is conveniently left out of every lesson.

This year I inquired about the percentage of power that the company obtains from Seabrook. She politely directed me to the company's website. Well, after years of listening to her tout the benefits of wind and solar power, as well as the wonders of a Portsmouth plant that burns cocoa bean pods instead of wood, I decided to do a little more fact checking: "But you do have a contract with Seabrook?" She answered "Yes", then she continued on to say, "But we don't talk about 'that'. We only discuss the sources that are in the area."

Hmmm... First I was surprised that she referred to nuclear power as "that." Who knew that "nuclear" is a 4-letter word! Then I wondered how Portsmouth could be considered to be local, while Seabrook is not. I would have liked to see all of the facts given. It would have been appropriate to give a complete list of the types energy sources the company uses without cherry picking which ones to include or exclude.

As parents, we rightfully spend so much time and thought educating our children to be fair and analytical thinkers, so they can separate fact from fiction, rational thought from emotion, and science from politics. Maybe we should expect the same from the educators.

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Notes about the illustrations.

The photo at the top was downloaded (with permission) from the Vermont Yankee Facebook page album of the St. Patrick's Day Rally. I thank Vermont Yankee for letting me use the picture. It shows Cheryl Twarog and one of her sons and her husband (both with green hats). The man at the forefront of the picture is Bill Schulze. (I didn't know that man's name, but Michael Empey told me. Thanks to Michael! )

The map shows the Schiller biomass and coal plant at Portsmouth (orange balloon, above) and the Seabrook station (red balloon, below). Schiller Station is 150 MW, of which 50 MW is biomass. Seabrook Nuclear Station is 1,200 MW. The Vermont Yankee plant is near Brattleboro, at the left of the map (not marked with a balloon, sorry!) Many VY employees live in nearby towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Clicking on the map will give you a clearer image.