New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes is calling for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant to be shut down immediately until a tritium leak is fixed.
Hodes is a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, and said "reckless behavior, deliberate cover-ups and unfruitful internal investigations" by plant officials have undermined the trust of New Hampshire citizens who live near the Vernon plant.
Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that’s been linked to cancer when ingested in large amounts. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said the tritium leak first reported Jan. 7 posed no immediate threat to public health and safety.
Hodes added that workers should be paid during any shut down.