No penalty for Vermont Yankee collapsed cooling tower

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The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant isn’t going to be penalized for allowing a cooling tower to degrade so badly it collapsed last summer.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission instead has issued a “noncited violation” to plant owner Entergy Nuclear for not following nuclear industry recommendations for preventing the problems that led to the Aug. 21 incident.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan says there was no threat to nuclear safety.

The collapse of the 50-foot tall structure, led to heightened public concern about the condition of the 36-year-old reactor and prompted Governor Jim Douglas to call for an independent review of the plant’s operation.

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