Renewable Revolution

WHO WILL PAY FOR THE CLEANUP? 

SNIPPET 1:

Entergy says it shut Vermont Yankee because it was losing money. Though fully amortized, it could not compete with the onslaught of renewable energy and fracked-gas. * Throughout the world, nukes once sold as generating juice “too cheap to meter” comprise a global financial disaster. Even with their capital costs long-ago stuck to the public, these radioactive junk heaps have no place in today’s economy—except as illegitimate magnets for massive handouts.

So in Illinois and elsewhere around the U.S., their owners demand that their bought and rented state legislators and regulators force the public to eat their losses. Arguing for “base load power” or other nonsensical corporate constructs, atomic corporations are gouging the public to keep these radioactive jalopies sputtering along.

SNIPPET 2:

Every reactor shutdown represents an avoided catastrophe of the greatest magnitude.  As the takeoff of cheap, clean, safe and reliable Solartopian technology accelerates, greedy reactor owners struggle to squeeze the last few dimes out of increasingly dangerous old nukes for which they ultimately will take no responsibility. Vermont Yankee alone could require 60 years for basic clean-up. Fierce debate rages over what to do with thousands of tons of intensely radioactive spent fuel rods.

It remains unclear where the money will ultimately come from to try to decontaminate these sites, but clearly they are all destined to be dead zones.

As will the planet as a whole were it not for victories like this one in Vermont. This weekend the No Nukes community will celebrate this accursed reactor’s final demise. 

Many hundreds more such celebrations must follow—soon! 

Harvey Wasserman edits NukeFree.org and works to shut all Vermont Yankee’s mutant siblings so Solartopia can take root.

Activists Permanently Shut Down Vermont Yankee Nuke Plant Today   

* Vermonters are NOT letting Vermont utilities replace nuclear power with Fracked Gas. Construction on a rather large pipeline project is being relentlessly protested, construction snarled and massive cost overruns shouted from the rafters to shut this poison pipeline DOWN! Vermonters are NOT playing games here.

Vermonters like this intelligent, do the math, fellow below are MAKING IT HAPPEN!

Robert Toms‎
 the Vermont Gas Pipeline
October 30 ·

The Vermont Democratic Party is calling around this week urging folks to vote for Shumlin, and making excuses for his position on the pipeline.

Shumlin's numbers have to be weak come Tuesday so he knows he has lost support of many dems . Last thing we want is a Shumlin landslide. He needs to feel vulnerable.

Burlington office: 399-2173
 Montperlier office: 229-1783.

BACKGROUND

Vermonters resoundingly disapprove of expanding the fracked gas pipeline and sending it under our lake to International Paper. The Governor has not been listening to us. Protect our state from this massive setback in fighting climate change and call the Governor—tell him what you think of his misguided support of the project. Let’s flood his phone lines!!!

The Public Service Board recently ruled to move forward on Phase I of the fracked gas pipeline to Addison County, despite overwhelming, scathing criticism from the public and concerned, thoughtful, government officials. Opponents have articulated the disastrous economic, environmental, and human injustices created by a pipeline that would have long-reaching negative impacts on our entire state for generations to come. At a time when pipeline explosions are increasingly commonplace in the U.S. it is lunacy to run a pipeline under Lake Champlain to International Paper, potentially damaging the drinking water of a quarter-million people with toxic fracked gas chemicals.

Relentless phone calls have been proven to work—politicians pay attention! The Governor will know we are watching for him to respond to the overwhelming number of calls and we are not going away until he changes his position. This phone campaign was started by a coalition of Vermont landowners and climate activists that go by the name of Just Power. We are just people, and we invite everyone to join us in demanding just power.

POSSIBLE TALKING POINTS

· The 41% cost overrun on Phase I of the Addison Natural Gas Project brings the capital costs to $121.6 million, which is $50-$60 million over the company’s original estimate in 2011, and still the utility, Vermont Gas Systems (VGS), refuses to put a cap on its spending.

· The Department of Public Service is supposed to protect Vermonters, but it has not called for transparency. No one outside of VGS can access the numbers underlying the costs and benefits claimed in its filings and marketing.

· $121.6 million of Vermont ratepayers’ money for infrastructure that would serve fewer than 2,600 customers translates into $47,500 per customer hook up!

· Weatherization and cold climate heat pumps or wood pellet stoves achieve similar household savings for a small fraction of that price.

· Although VGS is owned by a Canadian multi-billion dollar company, all of the costs will be borne by ordinary folks in Vermont—the current gas customers, or ratepayers, in Chittenden and Franklin counties.

· There is no public good in raising rates for 50,000 ratepayers to as much as 15.2% above the value of gas service they receive so that fewer than 2,600 new customers can—maybe—save something on their heating bills.

· The dangers/risks of fracked gas pipelines running near residences are inequitable and dangerous. Problems with pipelines are becoming commonplace; over time, pipelines corrode, leak, and explode, releasing massive amounts of toxins into the air, land, and water.

· This is not the direction Vermonters want their energy future to take. At a time when scientists are starting to question whether or not we can prevent the worst of climate change, we do not want to build one inch more of fossil fuel infrastructure. Leave fossil fuels in the ground!

· Natural gas is not a “bridge fuel.” Methane is a vastly more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, some say worse than coal. We have all the bridges we need to create our renewable energy future, now.

· Vermont could save $1.4 billion and avoid 6.8 million tons of carbon pollution if the state invested in efficiency and clean heat programs available to all Vermonters, as called for by the state’s own Thermal Efficiency Task Force.

· The fracked gas industry has been described as a “Ponzi scheme” and a “bubble.” All indications are that when the bubble bursts gas prices will go up, and the so-called savings will vanish. Renewable energy sources are unlimited.

· The rights of landowners have been violated in the easement negotiating process.  State agencies that are supposed to be neutral but which have openly defended the pipeline  , have left landowners to fend for themselves.    VGS has taken advantage of the complexity of negotiations to pressure landowners to sign contracts against landowners’ interests  .








Vermonters DECORATE Fossil Fueler "utility" building. 

Vermonters to Frackers and their bought and paid for government ****: Go ahead, MAKE OUR DAY...


The latest news is that massive cost overruns are FINALLY giving the government a face saving excuse to shut the pipeline down. I'll keep you posted. The peer pressure here against that Fracked Pipeline is ENORMOUS (especially in the light of New York's recent decision to ban Fracking. I expect any pipefitters or other construction workers that bury their conscience for a job can't even buy lunch without a lot of dirty looks.  The way peer pressure is DONE in Vermont is that they look at you, smile, and say, "I know where you live".    I have received that "message" for not being a local and I take it VERY seriously. But locals have a much more difficult time dancing around peer group REJECTION. LOL!

VPIRG Statement on Fracked Gas Pipeline Cost Increases

By Dylan Zwicky  on December 19, 2014  in Fracking, News and Updates, Press Releases
 
pipe-dreams-cover
   
MONTPELIER, VT – Vermont Gas Systems today announced the second massive cost overrun in just six months for Phase 1 of its proposed fracked gas pipeline project.  Project costs have risen almost 80 percent over original estimates for Phase 1 alone.

In July, the Phase 1 price tag rose from $86 million to $121 million – a remarkable 40% increase that sparked new waves of opposition to the fossil fuel project.  Today’s announcement – raising the budget by another $33 million – calls into question the viability of the overall pipeline expansion project.


“It’s time to pull the plug on this fracked gas pipeline before any more economic or environmental damage is done,” said Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “The economics for this project were already questionable, given the availability of clean alternatives that can save Vermonters half on their heating bills.”

In light of the increased costs, Vermont Gas is asking the Public Service Board to postpone hearings related to Phase 2 of the pipeline that were scheduled for January.

“Any project that sees its costs balloon by nearly 80 percent in less than a year should be stopped in its tracks,” said Burns.  “VPIRG urges Gov. Shumlin to drop his administration’s support of this project and we ask Attorney General Sorrell to consider an immediate investigation on behalf of Vermont ratepayers.”



Vermonters can ADD and SUBTRACT QUITE WELL. Take THAT, FRACKERS!

Renewable energy=                                 =Fossil Fuelers