Tritium in Groundwater Becomes a Campaign Issue in Vermont

The candidates for this year’s Vermont gubernatorial race are divided over the future of Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. Democrat Peter Shumlin has slammed Republican candidate Brian Dubie in campaign ads for his position on the power plant.

Entergy, which owns the plant, first detected tritium in groundwater in January of this year.  In February, the Vermont senate rejected a request to extend the plant’s operating licensing (Vermont is the only state in the country to with the right to reject the operation of a nuclear power plant.  It gained this right when Entergy purchased the facility.)  The plant’s license will expire in 2012.

Shumlin states in his add that Dubie would have voted to extend the license on the power plant, but Dubie has responded that he believed a positive vote would have handed the decision on continued operation of the plant to the state Public Service Board.  As part of his campaign, Shumlin has also called for an increase in the number of extraction wells being used to treat the tritium pollution at the site.

On Friday, October 8th, tritium was again detected in groundwater at the plant, but at levels below the drinking water standard.  Tritium has not been found above detection levels at near-by residences or schools.