For Immediate Release
March 23, 2012
What:
Activists will stand in solidarity with the people of Vermont working to shut down the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and will call on Entergy to shut down the FitzPatrick reactor due to safety risks.
When:
Saturday, March 24, 1:00 pm
Where:
FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant, Intersection of County Rt. 29 and Lake Road, in Scriba, New York
Details:
This week, groups throughout the United States are protesting Entergy Corporation for its refusal to abide by the democratic decision taken by the government of Vermont to shut down the Vermont Yankee reactor. Large marches are underway in Vermont, and dozens have been arrested in Vermont and in occupations of Entergy headquarters in New York and New Orleans.
On Saturday, the statewide Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) will join groups throughout the US in coordinated protests at Entergy plants. The AGREE delegation will put pressure on Entergy at its FitzPatrick reactor in Scriba, New York. (There will be signs and good visuals for photography and video.) The group will call on Entergy to respect democracy in Vermont and to protect the public in Central New York.
Why Entergy:
In Vermont, polls show the majority of people want the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor to be shuttered. In 2010, the Vermont Senate voted overwhelmingly to close down the Vermont Yankee plant, after Entergy officials lied under oath, and large leaks of radioactive tritium were discovered coming from the plant. Vermont Yankee was slated to suspend operations this week, when its 40-year operative license expired. But in violation of agreements it signed with the state 10 years ago, Entergy is refusing to abide by that decision and has challenged the State of Vermont in court, and the NRC has granted an 20-year license extension.
In Central New York, AGREE has joined with the DC-based nonprofit Beyond Nuclear to file a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, asking that federal agency for an emergency shut-down of FitzPatrick and public hearings on the safety of the reactor. The groups discovered that the FitzPatrick plant has an emergency venting plan that Entergy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission both acknowledge could lead to large radioactive releases and hydrogen explosions if there is an accident at the plant. Read more on the AGREE website: http://allianceforagreeneconomy.org/fitzpatrick-petition
Entergy is also under pressure by New York State officials to shut down its two Indian Point reactors, which are located just 25 miles from New York City.
In Michigan, Entergy’s Palisades reactor had five unplanned shutdowns in 2011. In September 2011, the near electrocution of an electrician at Palisades caused the loss of electrical power to half of the control room and the plant came precariously close to a potential Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) in the reactor core. A LOCA of long enough duration can lead to a meltdown.
Contact: Jessica Azulay, Alliance for a Green Economy, (315) 480-1515