Crews from NorthStar tear down a section of the water cooling towers at the decommissioned Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon in 2019. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
As electricity demand rises and climate deadlines tighten, nuclear power is back in policy discussions, including H.601, led by Governor Scott and the Republican Party that not only calls for adding nuclear to our renewable energy standard, but also clears the way for Vermont to store nuclear waste from our state and others. Supporters of nuclear argue that it provides steady, carbon-free electricity. Critics point to high cost, radioactive waste, safety concerns, and Vermont’s complicated history with Vermont Yankee, our decommissioned nuclear plant in Vernon.
So what’s changed? Is nuclear truly “clean” energy? And if Vermont is serious about meeting its climate goals, does it have a role to play in our future energy mix?
On this week’s Democracy Dispatch, I’m joined by Representative Kathleen James (D-Manchester), chair of the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure to unpack why nuclear energy is being reconsidered, what it could mean for Vermont communities, and how it fits into the broader energy landscape.
Also on the episode, we take a trip back to our second episode ever in January 2023, when I spoke with Susan Clark about her contributions to Freedom and Unity: A Graphic Guide to Civics and Democracy in Vermont, which was published as a collaboration between The Center for Cartoon Studies, Vermont’s Secretary of State office, and Vermont Humanities Council. Here in Vermont, freedom isn’t a free-for-all, and unity doesn’t mean uniformity.
Tomorrow being Town Meeting Day, it’s a reminder that Vermont’s approach to democracy is by turns unique, varied, and inspired. On my mind as I prepare for Town Meeting Day is the effort to pass a state Voting Rights Act – S.298. This act is being considered in the Senate Committee on Government Operations currently, and if enacted, would protect Vermont voters in the instance that the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 is dismantled or continually weakened, as we are experiencing.
I hope newer listeners enjoy the listen back (and notice how our audio has improved), exercise their unique opportunity to engage in direct democracy, and contact their Senators to urge them to pass a state Voting Rights Act.