Vermont Governor Will Not Seek Re-Election

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas announced on August 27 he will not seek re-election next year. He cited personal reasons for the decision. The news may affect the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone’s throw from New Hampshire. It’s owned by Entergy Corp. of Louisiana. Residents of towns near the reactor have voted repeatedly to close it.

“Douglas has been Entergy’s best friend,” Paul Burns told the Valley Post. Burns is director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), the state’s biggest environmental organization. “He has consistently put Entergy’s interests ahead of the interests of Vermonters.”

Deb Katz, director of the Citizens Awareness Network www.nukebusters.org told the Post, "I think this [Douglas not running] is a great step forward. It potentially heralds a new, green energy future for all of New England." Most of Vermont Yankee's electricity is sold outside Vermont.

(To read more about Vermont Yankee, please click the "nuclear power" tag at the top of this article, then scroll down.)

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