Regulators say Yankee owners must keep better records

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(Host) Opponents of a plan to boost the power output at Vermont Yankee have won a round in their attempt to get information from plant owners. State utility regulators have ordered Yankee to do a better job in organizing the records for the opponents to review.

VPR’s John Dillon reports.

(Dillon) Vermont utility regulators in June ordered Yankee to turn over the relevant files. But members of the New England Coalition, the organization that’s fighting the power increase plan, say the records were so disorganized that they were virtually useless.

Ray Shadis is a member of the coalition. He says some files were not labeled or numbered, and the records lacked a clear index to help the researchers.

(Shadis) “I don’t think there was any diabolical intention to mislead, but they also felt they didn’t have to make it any easier for us.”

(Dillon) Shadis complained to the Public Service Board, the three-member panel that’s reviewing the power increase case. The board sent a hearing officer to Brattleboro this week. And he concluded the records were in disarray. The Public Service Board then ordered Yankee to organize the documents in a more useful fashion.

Yankee spokesman Brian Cosgrove says the company will comply quickly.

(Cosgrove) “It’s a large volume of information. And we organized it to what we thought was a reasonable level. But the board wanted it more organized so we’re working to do that now.”

(Dillon) Opponents of the Yankee plan say it’s dangerous to squeeze more production out of the 30-year old reactor. Vermont Yankee says it will follow strict safety standards.

For Vermont Public Radio, I’m John Dillon.

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