May 28, 2009
from Barre Montpelier Times Argus

To the Editor:

It is quite apparent that only part of the Vermont Legislature understands the impact that closing Vermont Yankee will have on the state's economy. It is not clear whether those legislators that voted for the decommissioning bill are indifferent to the survival of Vermont's poorer residents or feel compelled to advance the politically-correct agenda of particular lobbyists.

At any time, but especially under the current economic conditions, it is unforgivable for these legislators to increase the cost of power by more than 40 percent. It is also inconceivable that these same folks want to eliminate hundreds of good-paying jobs for both skilled and unskilled labor. As a side note, I find it interesting that lobbying groups like the Peace & Justice Center make an issue of "livable wage" employment, while calling for the closure of a major employer in the upper-valley region that provides exactly what they are lobbying for.

I implore the Legislature to consider that grave economic impact that will accompany the reckless action of a forced closure of Vermont Yankee. Ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature, for once, please vote based on real facts and not the obvious voodoo and outlandish high-dudgeon pedaled by a collection of activists and lobbyists with an anti-Vermonter agenda. Their information is pedaled as fact, is exposed as a collection of lies, half-truths and conjecture upon closer inspection.

Todd Leadbeater
Saint Johnsbury