nuclear

When you hear people speaking of making a rapid transition toward any type of energy, whether it is a switch from coal to nuclear power, or a switch from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars, or even a switch from an incandescent to a fluorescent light, understanding energy system inertia and momentum can help you decide whether their plans are feasible.

When investors put up money to build, say, a nuclear power plant, they expect to earn that money back over the planned life of the plant, which is typically between 40 and 60 years.

It is one thing to say that we are going to shift 30 percent of our electricity supply from, say, coal to nuclear power in 20 years.

That’s energy in all forms--oil, gas, coal, nuclear, solar and even wind power.

He and other scientists say there are basically two options to replacing fossil fuels: generating energy with renewables or embracing nuclear power.

When you hear people speaking of making a rapid transition toward any type of energy, whether it is a switch from coal to nuclear power, or a switch from gasoline -powered cars to electric cars, or even a switch from an incandescent to a fluorescent light

The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend.

The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon.

The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.

Permission to run a nuclear plant is a public trust.

Now the company is suddenly claiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006 legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatory power over nuclear issues.

Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running.

Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth.

But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews the company’s application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.

But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews the company's application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.

But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews the company's application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.

Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth.

Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not: challenge the constitutionality of Vermont's rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running.

The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont's only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon.